JUDGE TO BE HONORED FOR DRUG COURT

LAFAYETTE -- The Louisiana Association of Drug Court Professionals
will honor Jules Edwards, chief judge of the 15th Judicial District,
on Thursday for his work in the district's drug court. The ceremony
will be at 3:30 p.m. in Courtroom 4C of the Lafayette Parish Courthouse.

Edwards presides over a therapeutic drug court that rewards and
punishes drug offenders for their behavior. He also developed an
expedited case management system that brings prosecutors and offenders
to regular meetings with the judge to discuss the cases.

Offenders who want substance-abuse treatment are considered for the
Focused Intervention through Sanctions and Treatment. For two years,
the FIST program has provided drug testing, substance-abuse education,
therapy and support group meetings, referrals for assistance with
housing, subsistence, education and health-care services, and weekly
status conferences with the judge.

Defendants who plead guilty but deny an addiction are enrolled in the
Recovery Plus Program, which includes regular drug testing, education
classes and monthly meetings with the judge. A defendant completes the
program after a year of sobriety. Edwards started the program in
January 2000 with the other 12 judges in the district.

Recovery Plus defendants who test positive for drugs face possible
jail time in addition to substance-abuse treatment by Goodwill
Industries of Acadiana.

The 15th Judicial District, which includes Lafayette, Acadia and
Vermilion parishes, started its drug court in 1998 with grants from
the U.S. Department of Justice and the state Department of Health and
Human Services.