PINELLAS DRUG COURT DEBUTS WITHOUT DRAMA

There Are Just A Dozen Defendants On Day 1, But The Presiding Judge Expects
A Deluge.

LARGO -- The first day of the new Pinellas drug court opened on Tuesday
with the presiding judge expecting an eventual deluge of defendants.

But on this day, curious onlookers just about outnumbered those the court
aims to help.

Circuit Judge Lauren Laughlin called into session the drug court without
fanfare, her first hours of duty as the drug judge spent clearing away old
non-drug cases left over from her 2000 docket.

Though there were just a dozen drug defendants during the new court's first
day, numbers will soon rise dramatically, perhaps to 2,500 in the first
year, the judge said.

The court, already operated in Hillsborough and Citrus counties, is
designed to send non-violent offenders, mostly addicts charged with drug
possession, to intensive treatment rather than prison.

The judge oversees a strict program of treatment and supervision for felony
defendants.

"There's a little more forbearance in drug court," Laughlin said.
"Defendants are going to be allowed to fail. Failure is in the nature of
addiction. How many times they are allowed to fail is a function of the
presiding judge."

A 75-bed secure drug-treatment facility is expected to open in St.
Petersburg in March, the last essential component of a successful program,
the judge said.

"Obviously the way that we've dealt with drug offenders the past 40 years
has not been a success," said James Dates, director of the Pinellas County
Department of Justice Coordination.

"An attempt to solve that old problem with the drug court is better than
not trying at all," he said.

Pinellas has hired a drug court coordinator with a federal grant. Other
expenses, from treatment to drug tests for defendants, will be provided by
a bevy of profit and non-profit treatment programs.

The hope is for the court and treatment providers to eventually find
independent sources of funding, which could surpass $2-million.

"Right now, we're operating on a shoestring and finding our way," Laughlin
said.

Officials have set no deadlines by which funding must be obtained,
expecting that the court will have no problem operating for the first year.

"If it's a success, it will be funded," said Dates.

State Attorney Bernie McCabe's office is the gatekeeper for the drug court,
his prosecutors deciding which defendants are eligible.

Most defendants are expected to be those accused of drug possession or
selling small amounts.

All defendants accused of violent offenses are excluded, as are all\ sex
offenses, all offenses carrying minimum-mandatory sentences and those
accused of drug trafficking.

Some defendants charged with property crimes in which the offense was
drug-related qualify for drug court if the victim of the crime is agreeable.

These crimes include things such as a burglary committed to finance a drug
habit.

Laughlin said it remains to be seen whether one judge can handle the
expected caseload, which is more than twice any other judge's.

"Sooner or later you'll be accused of giving people the bum's rush," she said.

If she can't handle the full load, Laughlin said, overflow may go to other
Pinellas judges.

But Pinellas-Pasco Public Defender Bob Dillinger said the numbers may be
deceptive. For one, Laughlin will not be trying cases, he said.

Defendants who want a trial will go to other judges in other courtrooms.

Laughlin said the court will affect the lives of both the addict and
average citizen alike.

"There's no reason why people should have to come home from dinner," she
said, "and find that their home has been broken into."

For the addict, the benefit is more direct. A flier distributed to jail
inmates by Dillinger's office asks, "Why drug court?"

"Do you want your life back?"