DRUG COURTS OFFER A GOOD ALTERNATIVE

WITH ITS EMPHASIS on treatment rather than incarceration, no doubt some
will view the idea of a drug court as going soft on crime - we could not
disagree more.

Gov. George Ryan deserves congratulations for signing Senate Bill 138 into
law earlier this month. The Drug Court Treatment Act allows the chief judge
of each judicial circuit to set up a drug court program. It also sets the
parameters of the program, which would be aimed at nonviolent offenders who
were found guilty of possessing relatively small amounts of illegal drugs.
Anyone connected with the law enforcement and criminal judicial systems can
tell you that currently a larger percentage of crimes are either directly
or indirectly tied to drug usage. Some people taking up expensive jail and
prison space are there simply for using drugs, and many more are there for
related crimes - either crimes committed while on drugs or crimes committed
to get drugs.

IT DOES NOT surprise us that Sangamon County State's Attorney John Schmidt
favors setting up a drug court in this circuit. Schmidt said a larger
number of the cases prosecuted by his office fall under the low-grade
felony drug possession banner. Some people want the book thrown at a person
who uses drugs. Drug abuse is a scourge, and we understand the sentiment of
those who want to see drug users punished, given the problems they pose for
our society. However, sticking a drug addict in a jail or prison cell
without providing treatment is an ineffective, inefficient and costly - in
more ways that one - means of dealing with this problem.

Incarcerating a drug offender costs between $20,000 and $50,000 per person
per year, and the capital cost of each additional prison cell needed adds
tens of thousands more to that tab, according to National Association of
Drug Court Professionals. In comparison, the national association estimates
that a comprehensive drug court system usually runs less than $2,500
annually per offender.

"IF THIS PERSON has a dependency problem, unless you treat that problem, it
is almost guaranteed they'll be back in court," said Schmidt, adding that
solving a person's drug addiction is likely to lower the incidence of other
drug-related crimes such as thefts and burglaries.

While drug courts focus on trying to solve the problem of recidivism by
breaking the addiction, they are not touchy-feely programs that put the
public at risk.

Under the new law, drug offenders would be carefully screened to determine
their acceptance into the drug court program. In part, the offender must
not be charged with a violent crime, must admit he or she has a drug
problem, must want to be in the program and must not have completed or been
thrown out of another drug-court program.

Aside from drug treatment, drug courts can impose fines and jail sentences
and force offenders to pay treatment costs and restitution to victims. The
courts use frequent drug tests to make sure their charges are staying
clean. Offenders know that a slip-up most likely means a return to jail -
or in some cases more jail time than they are already facing. Illinois
won't be breaking new ground with this common-sense approach to
drug-related crimes. As many as 1,000 drug courts are already operating or
in the planning stages nationwide.

KICKING DRUGS is no simple task, but presently too few are given any
assistance in ending their addiction. Far more people want drug treatment
than can get it. Consider the option. Criminal sanctions for drug users -
even some felons - often means little jail time and no attempt at breaking
the criminal cycle of drug addiction. That is a prescription for a repeat
offender. You don't need to condone drugs to support drug courts. They seek
to provide a long-term solution to the problem rather than simply warehouse
a drug addict in between crimes.