GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY'S DRUG COURT IS WORTH A TRY

If we want to reduce crime and crowding in our jails and prisons, we've got
to find better ways of dealing with alcohol and drug addictions. Untreated
addiction is a contributing factor in many crimes. It fills jails and
causes a multitude of other social problems and chaos on our roads and in
our families, workplaces, schools and hospitals.

For that reason alone, Grand Traverse County's new Drug Court is worth a
try. Our traditional court system doesn't work well with alcoholics and
addicts, no matter how committed police, judges, social workers and
probation agents are.

Addiction is a tricky social and physical malady with many symptoms that
stand in the way of recovery - denial, defiance, blame, self- pity, and a
seeming inability of practicing addicts and alcoholics to take personal
responsibility for their substance abuse and actions.

There is no cure, just recovery based on abstinence and learning new
attitudes and ways of living. Throwing alcoholics and addicts in jail
penalizes them but does not treat them or help them want to recover. Yet,
studies show that coerced treatment works and that the longer a person is
in treatment the better their chances of breaking the cycle of addiction
and learning a new sober lifestyle.

Drug Court builds on both those findings. Non-violent alcoholics or addicts
eligible for Drug Court can stay out of jail if they agree to follow
stringent conditions ordered by the court. They attend mandatory Alcoholic
Anonymous meetings, come to court twice a month and meet with the probation
department every other week to discuss their recovery program and detail
what they're doing. They have to take daily breathalyzer tests and weekly
drug screens. As the program progresses, supervision becomes less frequent
and the testing more random. Defendants are under court supervision for a
year to 15 months. The prosecutor decides who qualifies and who doesn't.
Anyone with a recent conviction or pending case involving violence is
ineligible.

Grand Traverse County's courts and jail long have had an enlightened
understanding of alcoholism, addiction and the importance of treatment, but
the traditional criminal justice system here hasn't come close to the
success reported by other drug courts across the country. In less than
three years of operation, for example, Eaton County saw its recidivism rate
drop from 50 percent to about 10 percent - an amazing figure considering
that relapse is a common problem in recovery.

The arguments for drug courts are especially persuasive when you look at
costs and success rates. Based on a program of tight oversight and intense
treatment, they may cost more in the short run but ultimately save money
and chaos caused by repeat offenders. Funding for the nation's some 700
drug courts comes mostly from federal grants.

Locking up drug offenders costs $20,000 to $50,000 per year, per person,
according to reports from the National Association of Drug Court
Professionals. The drug court typically costs $2,500 per person because it
keeps people out of the traditional court system and the county jail for
extended periods of time. Participants spend more time instead getting
treatment. In Eaton County, prosecutors and district court clerks don't
have to handle the cases. There are no court- appointed attorney fees, no
jury fees, no witness fees, no overtime for police. And no time or money
lost to serve subpoenas.

Grand Traverse County's Drug Court started last month with a dozen
defendants. May it and its participants be so successful that it honestly
can be re-named "Sobriety Court."