PRISON NOT THE ANSWER TO ADDICTION

DWI, Drug Courts Worth Investment In Lives.

[photo-Springfield police check the sobriety of two drivers near downtown.]

For most people, the first time they're stopped for driving while
intoxicated is the last time. The humiliation, the fine and other
expenses, the realization that they could have hurt someone - it's
enough to keep them from repeating. But for others, the addiction to
alcohol is too strong. Even time in jail or prison isn't enough to
deter them.

That's why the addition of a drug court in Greene County last year was
so important - and why it already is more popular than Circuit Judge
Calvin Holden expected.

Holden pioneered drug court in Greene County. Both work on the same
principles. Offenders who qualify for the programs are identified
early and sentenced within a couple of months of their arrest, instead
of having a case drag on for a year or longer. Drug court is for
first-time nonviolent offenders. DWI court is open to people after
their third DWI arrest, when the crime becomes a felony.

They get treatment and are required to stand before the judge every
week to report their progress. They regularly provide urine samples
and are subject to random visits at their homes to make sure they have
no alcohol or drugs.

The program is intense. It goes far beyond the slap in the face of a
jail sentence.

It seeks to get to the roots of the hardest cases - cases like the man
in his 40s with 14 DWI convictions on his record. Jail time didn't
shake him. In DWI court, he's remained dry for more than a year. "It's
probably the first time he's been sober that long since he was 12
years old," Holden says.

That is an accomplishment. It is why programs like drug court and DWI
court are necessary. Throwing people in jail does not cure addictions
or keep people from going back to drugs or alcohol. For these
offenses, prison is often a waste of taxpayer money. Save the space
for violent offenders.

But Greene County's DWI court faces a challenge. It's too popular. It
offers the opportunity to avoid prison, of course, but more
importantly it offers the opportunity to shake a demon. Holden
expected to have 60 participants by now. He has 104, with another 117
awaiting admission. Such growth is beyond any judge's ability to keep
up.

But how do you put a limit on hope? If there is no room in the
program, should we let someone wait, losing the effectiveness of
immediate treatment, or send him to jail or prison, where the chances
of a good outcome are slim?

Money in state government is tight. There's not enough revenue to do
everything. Education, mental health care, reimbursements to counties
are being cut.

But there's always enough money to keep the prisons
running.

It would be the first step toward a healthier state if preventive
efforts and programs that actually make a difference were funded just
as enthusiastically. Giving Holden more help could save lives, but we
don't have the money for it. There's the pity.