DRUG COURTS FIGHT ADDICTION AND CRIME Roanoke heroin addict Vinnie Dabney faced drug possession charges and a possible year in prison. His choices were a trial or plea in regular court or participation in a special drug court program. He chose the latter. After two years and several relapses, he beat his habit, according to a story in last Sunday's Pilot. If the state had chosen the more usual course and punished Dabney, now 48, for possessing illegal drugs, he would have entered a prison system where drugs were plentiful and rehabilitation efforts few. The Roanoke drug court, started five years ago, was the state's first. According to a Virginia Tech study, the program saved the state $3.4 million by reducing the number of addicts locked up. It might well have saved society far more, by transforming addicts' lives. The program worked 60 percent of the time, the study said. This year, the state is funneling $2.6 million into 10 drug courts, including three in South Hampton Roads. Norfolk has an operating drug court. Virginia Beach has a pilot program. Portsmouth is about to start a drug court. Usually, an addict's worst enemy is him-or herself, though addicts may well prey on society to pay for their habits. While it may satisfy some to punish non-violent addicts, society profits if they are treated. Drugs rearrange the brain. The power of addiction is illustrated by the fact that addicted mothers sometimes neglect children while in search of the next fix. So an addict needs a lot of help for a long time, and the drug court can order the addict into programs that will provide it. Just as important: Hanging over the addict's head -- if he or she fails in the program -- is prison time. The carrot-and-stick strategy has proved effective. More state money for more state courts would be money well spent reclaiming lives, saving families and fighting crime.
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