Still, some criticize use of treatment over punishment
What began as an experiment in Miami less than a decade ago is now
emerging as one of the most significant reforms to the American
criminal justice system in the last half century.

In city after city, the latest research shows that drug courts are
significantly slowing the revolving door of justice by addressing the
root causes of crime.

Unlike traditional criminal courts, drug courts operate under the
idea that if a drug addict steals to support his or her habit, it
makes sense to stop the thefts by first treating the addiction.

Rather than focusing on punishing nonviolent drug abusers by
throwing them in prison, drug courts seek to solve the underlying
problems that lead an individual toward criminal activities.

Yet the courts aren't without their detractors. Critics say
speciality courts are expensive, and they divert money from other
cases that are more pressing. Some, too, argue that the courts are too
``soft'' on criminals placing more emphasis on treatment than
punishment.

Still, their success in reducing repeatoffender rates has been
impressive.

``If you can reduce the individual's demand for drugs then you are
going to reduce the need for that individual to commit criminal acts
to buy drugs,'' says Margaret Beaudry, research director at Drug
Strategies, a Washingtonbased nonprofit group.

The first drug court was set up in Miami in 1989 as a way to reduce
the number of drug abusers clogging local jails. It has since grown
into a national phenomenon. Today there are 200 drug courts fully
operational and another 100 planning to open, according to a recent
report by Drug Strategies.

The specialized courts are located in 48 states and Washington,
D.C. and have handled 40,000 arrested drug users. More than 24,000
have successfully completed a drug court program.

``We are seeing dramatic reductions in recidivism. They aren't
committing crimes anymore. They are getting jobs, supporting their
families, helping their kids,'' says Ms. Beaudry.

A growing record of success is converting skeptics. ``I think it is
fair to say that probably by the year 2000 we may see drug courts in a
substantial portion of jurisdictions in the country,'' says Jeffrey
Tauber, a former drug court judge in Oakland, Calif., and president of
the National Association of Drug Court Professionals.

A survey of the 50 oldest drug courts found that 70 percent of drug
court participants had either overcome their addictions and been
released from the courtsponsored programs or were still in treatment.
By comparison, success rates at standalone drug treatment facilities
approach 30 percent, experts say, with roughly 70 percent of patients
dropping out.

What makes drug courts more successful than the standalone
programs is the threat of going to prison if a drug user fails to
complete the program.

Drug courts employ a carrotandstick approach. The offender is
offered the opportunity of either going to traditional court and
facing prison or participating in an intensive rehabilitation program
aimed at eliminating his or her addiction, finding employment, and
taking responsibility for his or her further progress.

What differentiates drug court from other courts is that the goal
is not to decide guilt or innocence or to mete out punishment. The
primary goal in drug court is to help an offender stop being an
offender.

It means that the judge, the prosecutor, the defense attorney, drug
treatment professionals, police officers, and others are working as
partners rather than in adversarial roles.

``What these programs do is they require a level of coordination
and partnership that in a very significant way changes the dynamic [of
the criminal justice system],'' says Mr. Tauber.

Drug courts have received high marks from all quarters of the
criminal justice establishment as well as from drug treatment
specialists. By keeping nonviolent drug users out of prison, scarce
cells are available for violent criminals who pose a greater societal
danger.

Many experts also say that warehousing drug addicts in prisons and
jails only postpones crime.

``The police know about revolving door justice,'' says Hubert
Williams, president of the Police Foundation in Washington. ``The
notion that the police have some special skills that can cure people
who are drug dependent is just not true. We can pick them up but we
have to have a place to send them where they will have some form of
treatment available to them.''

Not everyone who participates in drug court benefits from the
opportunity. Success rates vary from court to court, based largely on
the severity of the cases being handled in each court.

In Miami, the program only applies to drug users who are arrested
for the first time. That is a population that is likely to include
many men and women who will respond to treatment and stay out of
trouble in the future, experts say. Other jurisdictions are using drug
courts to target chronic addicts. Success rates in those cases are
much lower.

``No one is claiming this is a magic bullet,'' says Beaudry. But
every case in drug court marks a gain for society, she says.

It costs from $20,000 to $60,000 a year to hold a person in jail or
prison. In contrast, one year in a drug court program costs from
$1,800 to $4,000, experts say.