THE RIGHT PLACE TO SURGE

Specialized Courts That Counter The Impact Of Addiction

Drug courts work. Sometimes they work miracles.

Local officials have seen that for themselves. Volusia County has had
a drug court since 1997, and more recently added a drug court for
juveniles and a court specialized to deal with addiction in
child-protection cases. Circuit Judge Kim C. Hammond oversaw Flagler
County's first drug-court graduation in April 2008.

Drug courts offer an alternative to the traditional cycle of
addiction, drug use, crime and incarceration. Instead of going to
jail, participants -- who are almost always accused of low-ranking,
non-violent offenses, often related to their craving for drugs or
alcohol -- are offered a program that includes regular court
appearances, drug tests, addiction therapy and support in gaining life
skills. The programs, which recognize that offenders occasionally slip
up, keep pushing for long-term success. In Florida, where drug courts
began 20 years ago, about 80 percent of drug-court graduates are not
re-arrested.

But across the country, only 10 percent of offenders who could benefit
from drug courts get in. The rest are shut out by funding shortfalls,
or excluded because their problems are too complex.

The Obama administration is asking Congress to increase federal
funding for specialized courts from this year's $64 million to $100
million next year. The move is likely to have strong bipartisan
support. The dollars would stretch further in Florida, where drug
courts are funded by a blend of local, state and federal money.
Florida's Republican-dominated Legislature, in a lean budget year,
wisely increased drug-court funding by $18.5 million in 2009.

The federal money should come with a challenge to expand drug courts'
mission. Drug courts' track record proves they are effective in
reducing the amount of money wasted on meaningless incarceration. The
same approach could work in other areas: For example, Volusia County's
family drug court program is working to heal families whose children
are at risk due to their parents' addiction.

Addiction is insidious. It can warp lives and destroy futures. Drug
court helps reclaim those lives -- and that makes it a wise
investment.