LOCAL OFFICIALS SAY DRUG COURTS OFFER BENEFITS

The number of felony cases filed in Vanderburgh County courts has nearly
doubled since 1990 -- an increase Circuit Court Judge Carl Heldt recently
attributed to one thing -- drugs. Courts across the country are trying
innovative ways to deal with the drug problem while alleviating the strain
such cases put on the court system and jail crowding.

To address those problems, 500 communities across the country have
established drug courts. Such courts use a variety of community resources,
all intent on helping the substance abuser while saving taxpayer money by
reducing the chance the offender will reappear in the court system. Drug
courts are in operation in seven Indiana counties and plans are under way
to implement programs in four more, according to information from the U.S.
Justice Department.

The basic premise for such courts is simple: Resources from the community
should be intensely involved in the rehabilitation of a drug user before he
is phased back into the community.

Local Concerns:

Officials in Vanderburgh County like the idea of such courts, but they are
concerned about how they would operate.

The county courts, they say, are already dealing with problems of funding
and inadequate staff and courtroom space.

"At this point, I haven't decided if a drug court would make a difference
in the speed or efficiency of the way we are handling cases," said Heldt.

Federal funding, however, is available. The federal Office of Justice
Programs, responsible for overseeing drug courts for the Justice
Department, has awarded more than $100 million since 1995 to help
jurisdictions plan, implement or enhance drug courts.

The funding appears to be a good investment. Studies have shown as much as
a 25 percent reduction in recidivism for participants of drug court, as
compared to those who go through the normal judicial process, according to
the Justice Department.

Would We Qualify?

A recent study by Columbia University in New York found that up to 80
percent of people in our nation's jails either committed crimes while on
drugs or used the crime to buy more drugs.

While local officials don't question the benefits of a centralized drug
court, some wonder if the county needs such innovative programs and if it
would even qualify for such funding.

Court officials also say the county courts already work similarly to a drug
court, in that judges have the option of sentencing people to treatment
programs as part of probation.

If someone violates the terms of such sentences, however, perhaps by
failing a drug test, their probation could be revoked. The local courts
already dedicate two days a week to hearings for such instances.

"I know some drug courts exist in Indiana and some are very successful and
are funded through federal grants," said Chief Superior Court Judge J.
Douglas Knight. "But, what happens when those grants expire?

"Ideally, some legislation should be passed where state funding could be
put in place and control can be kept locally."

There are advantages, however, of establishing such a court, Heldt said. It
would allow drug offenders to immediately get in touch with a variety of
social programs shortly after their arrest.

"It would always be effective if we could develop these resources at the
earliest opportunity," he said.

Maurer Also Cautious:

Deputy Prosecutor Terry Maurer agreed. He is responsible for filing felony
drug cases, which he said account for about 25 percent of the court caseload.

"Clearly a drug court could be a benefit to us, because treatment
opportunities could be more quickly administered and the rewards and
consequences of the programs are more clearly laid out."

But he also is cautious.

"I'm not sure a drug court would be universally thought of as the best way
to use the same judicial resources (currently) available to us."

Heldt and Maurer also say drug courts tend to be better suited for larger
counties.

Paul Southwick, coordinator of the drug court for Vigo County in Terre
Haute, Ind., disagrees.

"A drug court program can be applied to any community," Southwick said.

Southwick said 63 people have graduated from the program since its
beginning three years ago. Only four of those people were arrested again
for drug offenses. The lower recidivism rate and the costs saved by the
courts are attractive aspects of drug courts, he said.

"The intensity of the program is the crucial element," Southwick said. "
(With drug courts) you have the partnership of the courts involved with the
treatment aspect of it. This has not been an issue in the past."

Southwick said the drug courts operate in addition to regular drug and
alcohol treatment programs in the county and are funded by federal funds
and grant money.

The success of the program earned it an additional $200,000 in grant money
this year, he said.

Local court officials see funding as the major obstacle to establishing
such a court in Vanderburgh County.

If the logistics of such a program can be worked out, however, a drug court
could prove beneficial, said Heldt.

"I would be interested in hearing more about drug courts," Heldt said. "As
this problem continues, we don't seem to be getting anywhere in reducing
drug crimes."