DRUG DIVERSION PROGRAM STEP IN RIGHT DIRECTION

A new diversion program for non-violent drug offenders which offers them
counseling and job training as an alternative to jail is a good idea that
should be tried in other jails across the state.

The program, Project Transformation, is set to begin operating from the
Hamilton County jail in November. It is a voluntary program open to those
convicted of misdemeanor drug crimes. Participants volunteer to attend
counseling sessions with church counselors up to three times a week for six
months. They are also given the chance to receive job training from classes
at Chattanooga State Technical Community College.

Programs like Project Transformation are a good idea for a number of
reasons. For one thing, it can help reduce the overall incidence of crime,
since many crimes are drug-related.

More important, it attacks the root of this nation's drug problem: the
underlying addiction. Project Transformation gives addicts a chance to get
their lives back on track and to receive job training that could help them
become productive members of society once they are released. The end
result? They are less likely to be arrested again and end up back in prison.

Alternative sentencing is something the state will have to turn to
increasingly, in light of Tennessee's booming prison population. That's why
Project Transformation is a step in the right direction.