DRUG COURT MAY BE NATIONAL MODEL

Forrest-Perry Circuit Court Judge Bob Helfrich's adult drug court
operation may become one of the National Drug Court Institute's model
courts - one of about 20 in the U.S.

If the Hattiesburg court, which has operated less than a year, gains
the designation it will become a site for drug court training for
1,168 other courts around the country.

"This designation would bring in upwards of 100 people for three or
four days for training several times a year," Helfrich said Monday,
explaining why he asked to be evaluated for the program.

"This would give us a chance to show off our city and our court," he
said.

The first step in the evaluation process occurred Monday when Carolyn
Harden of Alexandria, Va., project director for the institute, watched
Helfrich's drug court operation.

"I wanted to check out the operation because of the court's interest
in becoming a host court," Harden said. "I would anticipate this court
would become a drug court."

Harden said she did not have a timetable for reaching a decision on
designating the drug court as a training site.

One of the criteria to be met is the interaction between the judge and
those in the court. Mitch Evans, who was sentenced to the drug court,
said Helfrich's court is excellent.

"He's really good and he really cares about the people in the
program," Evans said.

Evans of Runnelstown, who has been in the drug rehabilitation program
for five months, said the court is good enough to get the training
designation.

"I would not object to people coming and training off of us," he
said.

Helfrich started the court last October with a $459,000 grant from the
Hattiesburg-based Asbury Foundation.

Hardin said the drug court movement is growing because it works. There
are 300 other drug courts under development nationwide.

"A study in 1999 and 2000 showed the recidivism rate for drug court
participants at just over 16 percent," Hardin said.

National statistics put the recidivism rate for drug offenders who are
not involved in a drug court environment at between 60 percent and 70
percent, she said.

Officials now estimate that more than 80 percent of all crimes are
drug related. Instead of jailing an addict, a drug court offers
treatment and help.

[Sidebar]

FORREST-PERRY ADULT DRUG COURT

Started: Oct. 30, 2003

Participants: 67

Funding: Asbury Foundation - $495,000

Participants dropped: 1