DRUG COURT A SUCCESS SO FAR

As any regular viewer of television crime dramas knows, prosecutors
and defense attorneys are frequently at odds with one another. One's
goal is the other's failed effort; one's victory the other's defeat.

At least that's the way television portrays the relationship. In real
life the goal is for the law to prevail, not the lawyer. But when
passionately pulled toward opposite outcomes, it would be natural for
that relationship to be strained at times.

So considering the Cubs-Sox nature of the relationship, it was nice to
see DeKalb County State's Attorney Ron Matekaitis and DeKalb County
Public Defender Regina Harris, among others, pulling for the same side
last week as the first of the county's Drug Court participants
graduated from the program.

Drug Court is an intensive counseling and rehabilitation program that
provides an alternative to a prison sentence. One of the four
graduates was also the first person taken into the program, in
November 2006. He was also the first graduate, and said he had
accomplished more with his life in two years than he had in the
previous 10 years.

The program is for non-violent offenders who are not drug dealers, and
participants go through residential treatment for addiction, frequent
drug testing and weekly court appearances. The court was started with
funding from the DeKalb County Board, but is now funded primarily
through fees tacked on to traffic and felony convictions.

Drug Court is run by a 10-person team that includes members from law
enforcement and judicial, legal and counseling agencies. It's an
impressive cross section of professionals who can provide help, and it
took a lot of work to put together. Now, it is beginning to show dividends.

We commend those who pushed to create the program, and also those who
allowed themselves to be pushed. Matekaitis admitted he was not an
early advocate of the program, believing that the proper place for an
addict who committed a crime was behind bars. But he later saw that as
a failed strategy for certain individuals who could be saved through a
program like Drug Court.

Similarly, Kurt Klein, presiding judge of DeKalb County, was hesitant
to start the court, fearing it would put too much strain on already
limited resources.

Backed by early advocates like Circuit Judge Robbin Stuckert and Drug
Court Coordinator Marilyn Stromborg, both came around to the idea and
are now believers in the program's effectiveness.

It is easy to be passionate about something, but it's harder to let
someone else's passion challenge your own long-felt notions. It is
commendable that Matekaitis kept an open mind in the early stages of
the discussion, and allowed advocates of the program to make their
case.

It's the nature of the legal system that prosecutors and defense
attorneys will spar before judges. But when there is a chance to offer
rehabilitation and a better life for those suffering from drug
addiction, it's better when they can all be on the same team.