FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHTER FOR DRUG COURTS IN MISSISSIPPI

THUMBS UP: To the future of drug courts in Mississippi.

Now that Gov. Haley Barbour has signed Senate Bill 2892 into law, the
state's fledgling drug court system will have a steady source of funding.

Once it takes effect later this year, the new law will assess fees for
certain criminal offenses and generate as much as $5 million a year for drug
courts.

This is great news for the 11 drug courts currently operating in
Mississippi, the majority of which are funded by private contributions and
federal grants.

Drug courts provide a valuable service by enabling nonviolent drug offenders
to rehabilate their lives within a rigidly structured environment.

In the process, drug courts save the state money by reducing prison costs,
as well as the number of burglaries and property crimes (many of which are
drug related.)

The 2003 Legislature established a statewide drug court system but failed to
fund it.

To their credit, the members of the 2004 Legislature recognized this flaw
and took a giant step to fix it.

The $5 million a year that will be generated by the new fee structure will
help tremendously.

However, this is just a start.

The Legislature needs to look for additional ways to fund drug courts.