DRUG COURT CAN WORK

A bill before the House Judiciary Committee to establish a drug court as
a pilot project in Rutland County is a good first step in confronting
the problem of drug addiction in Vermont.

It is only a first step. Everyone testifying on the issue of drugs
acknowledges that, for a drug court to work, expanded treatment programs
for drug offenders are necessary. In fact, drug treatment is the whole
point of the shift in emphasis away from punishment and toward a remedy
for the underlying problem that causes so much crime.

Defender General Robert Appel, who has studied drug courts in other
parts of the country, says the proposal in Vermont could be a
springboard to prompt the community to put in place the treatment
programs necessary to ensure that the drug court - what he calls a drug
treatment docket - works.

It is past time to move in the direction of drug treatment. As cheap
heroin has become more prevalent, addiction, crime and death have
inevitably followed. Law enforcement officials acknowledge they are
unable to solve the problem. Police have given more attention to the
drug problem, but they know they are fighting a losing battle unless
something is done to help people get off drugs.

Drug courts work on the same principle as diversion programs. Offenders
are removed from the criminal justice system and given an alternative:
They can enter and cooperate with treatment or face the consequences of
their offense in court.

Appel says there are about 500 drug courts around the country and the
idea is no longer new. One of the first was established in Miami with
the help of Janet Reno, then a public prosecutor. In most programs,
according to Appel, the outcomes in addressing addiction and in
preventing future crime have been successful.

As it is, offenders are often arrested and, as a condition of release,
they are told to stay off drugs. But that warning has little effect. If
the judicial system puts the power it has over an offender to
constructive use by providing the treatment he or she needs, then
progress could be made in the battle against drugs.

If a drug court is put in place, it will have to be followed by the
detoxification and treatment programs needed to treat offenders. The
state and the community, including the public and private sectors, must
be ready to respond with the money and commitment necessary to meet the
needs of drug offenders.

In the wake of the recent surge in heroin use, some have been reluctant
to pursue a partial solution, knowing that without a more comprehensive
approach, a limited program will not work. Thus, the Rutland Regional
Medical Center has been reluctant to establish a methadone clinic for
the treatment of heroin addicts.

The drug court could spur the creation of the spectrum of programs,
including methadone, needed to direct offenders away from the endless
and expensive cycle of addiction, crime, prison and more crime.
Directing drug offenders toward treatment is a less expensive and more
productive approach that helps offenders break the addiction cycle and
saves society the ongoing costs of crime and punishment.

The best treatment programs will not save everyone. But we can help far
more people than we are helping now. And we will all be better off as a
result.