DRUG COURT MAY BE NATIONAL MODEL

Nevada's newest weapon against crime -- a Drug Court for newly eleased
prison inmates -- will be the star attraction this week at the National Drug
Court Conference in Miami.

District Judge Jack Lehman left Wednesday after a last minute request to
explain the program -- the first in the nation -- to 2,500 representatives
of the nation's 400 other drug courts, just two days after the Nevada
Legislature approved and funded the program.

Lehman spearheaded the creation of a Drug Court in Nevada more than six
years ago and smiles when he talks about how only 14 percent of those who
complete the program commit additional crimes.

By contrast 80 percent of prison inmates convicted of nonviolent
drug-related crimes become repeat offenders when they are released into the
community with little supervision.

Before he left, Lehman said the purpose of the program is to see if the
success of Drug Court will translate to ex-cons and keep them from returning
to the expensive confines of prison.

In exchange for participating in the new program and addressing their drug
problems, inmates can be released from prison up to two years early.

"We want to see if we can accomplish with early-release parolees what we
have done with drug addicts in the community," Lehman said. "I find this a
real challenge."

Initially there will be only 100 carefully chosen participants in Clark
County and 50 in Washoe County. There will be no violent or sex-crime
offenders and no one who has been convicted of more than two felonies that
are drug related, Lehman said.

He emphasized that the convicts need not be in prison for drug charges to
qualify but only for a drug-related charge, such as a conviction for theft
to support a drug habit.

Once accepted into the program through a screening committee, participants
will be restricted to house arrest and required to undergo intensive counseling.

Weekly appearances will be required before the Drug Court judge, who can
send them back behind bars if they don't cooperate.

To fund the program, the state is paying $4,250 per person.

By contrast, prisoners in work camps cost taxpayers about $7,000 a year, and
inmates in regular prisons cost between $16,000 and $22,000 annually.

That translates into an initial savings to taxpayers of between $2,750 and
$17,750 per participant, or between $412,000 and $2.66 million for the 150
who will be in the program.

In addition, Lehman noted, there will be savings for police, prosecutors and
courts for each participant who does not commit new crimes.

The judge said the bonus is that the public will be safer since Justice
Department statistics indicate that drug addicts commit about 100 crimes
annually to support their habits.

"We will save in crimes that don't happen," he said.

"I think we are at the forefront of something that could be important
nationally," Lehman said, noting that Nevada's entire congressional
delegation has supported the program.

While Lehman testified at the Legislature in support of the program, he said
it was Gov. Kenny Guinn who pushed through the bill.

In the final vote on Sunday, Senate Bill 184 cleared the Assembly with a
41-0 vote.