SLO COUNTY'S ADULT DRUG COURT BOOSTED

SAN LUIS OBISPO - San Luis Obispo County's Adult Drug Court Program will
receive $360,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The program is a partnership between the county District Attorney's Office,
the Public Defender's office, the county Board of Supervisors and the
Sheriff's Department to reduce the rate of repeat offenses among nonviolent
substance abuse offenders. More than 50 percent of crime in San Luis Obispo
County is drug-or alcohol-related.

Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, lobbied the Department of Justice's Drug
Court Program's Office and key House committee members to secure funding for
this project, her office said Monday.

"Jail time should not be used as a temporary Band-Aid to address substance
abuse," she was quoted in a release. "In addition to strong punishment,
nonviolent drug offenders need to rehabilitate themselves and become
productive members of our society."

A pilot project already established under the guidance of Superior Court
Judge Christopher Money will continue to be administered through the county
Probation Office. With the added funding, the program now includes three
superior court judges, two probation officers, a treatment counselor, a
90-day in-treatment program in the county jail and an 18-month outpatient
program to evaluate the participants' progress.

Checked-by: Don Beck