DRUG OFFENDERS/AT LAST, A WISE SENTENCING SYSTEM

Minnesotans have every reason this week to roll their eyes at mention of
the state Legislature. But once onlookers recover from their amazement at
lawmakers' knack for fiddling while Minnesota fizzles, they might want to
dwell for a moment on one of the few smart reforms the 2005 Legislature did
manage to pass.

There are only a few -- most notably a new law assuring stronger state
control of sex offenders, a plan to get treatment to new mothers suffering
postpartum depression and expanded outreach programs for Minnesota's
homeless. However lawmakers have faltered, they deserve at least polite
applause for approving these sensible changes. And another reform now
heading for the law books actually merits audible cheers: After years of
backpedaling, the Legislature this session finally took a leap toward
rational drug sentencing.

Few Minnesotans seem aware of this heartening news -- hardly surprising
given the public outrage over all the 2005 Legislature didn't do. But the
sentencing policy change signed this session by Gov. Tim Pawlenty could
turn out to be monumentally important in shaping this state's future.

Why? Because the new law casts off Minnesota's old habit of locking up drug
offenders for long prison stays in favor of a strategy that emphasizes
thrift, community safety and enhanced public health. The new approach stems
from research showing that simply incarcerating lawbreaking addicts does
nothing to nudge them toward recovery before release. That outcome is best
achieved by creating incentives to propel drug offenders through treatment
- -- a strategy known to markedly reduce recidivism among offenders who will
otherwise almost certainly repeat their mistakes once they hit the streets.

Sponsored by Republican Sens. Julianne Ortman of Chanhassen and Tom
Neuville of Northfield, this law promises a shrewder approach to drug
crimes, not a softer one. The law permits earlier release for incarcerated,
nonviolent drug offenders who successfully complete six months of drug
treatment while in prison. The conditions eligible offenders must fulfill
are strict: Before release, they'll face government review to assure they
pose no public-safety peril. After release, they'll be obliged to
participate in aftercare and drug- testing programs and to wear electronic
ankle bracelets that make eluding official oversight impossible.

This is precisely the sort of approach to drug offenses that criminologists
have long urged. It's fully in keeping with the philosophy that a
smattering of Minnesota counties -- including Hennepin and Ramsey -- have
embraced in their groundbreaking drug courts. Indeed, the only thing wrong
with this new law is that it wasn't embraced years ago. It's expected to
save nearly $2 million a year that would otherwise be used to underwrite
long prison stays for addicts in need of treatment.

Over the long haul, this new approach could dampen the prevalence of
addiction, the crime rate, the size of the prison population and the price
of public safety. If only all legislative "reforms" could claim as much.