CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN

Drug Court Seeks Not Just Punishment but Actual Rehabilitation

Drug court is putting away the paddle and passing out the extra
chores.

The Augusta Judicial Circuit's Drug Court, spearheaded by Judge James
G. Blanchard, has proven its viability as an innovative new approach
to punishment for drug offenses. How, one might ask? Because it is
not, strictly speaking, punishment.

Most of us can probably remember being spanked as children. Most of us
can also remember when our parents stopped spanking us, and, instead,
began giving us extra chores, putting us on restriction, or giving us
that dreaded phrase -- "I'm disappointed in you."

Drug court is implementing this in a different way. Rather than
punishing non-violent drug offenders by sentencing them to prison, the
court places them on probation in exchange for a guilty plea and a
two-year rehabilitation process which involves attending weekly
meetings, submitting to random drug tests and remaining sober for one
year.

It even entails a 9 p.m. curfew, something that sounds like it was
taken from the parental punishment playbook. If the participants
complete the program, their charges are dropped.

One must note that these are still criminals, but the most unwilling
kind -- having been propelled along by addiction and substance abuse.
That makes them all the more amenable to change.

Yet, this is not to say that the drug court is doing these offenders a
favor. On the contrary, their debt to society is being paid both
figuratively, by conforming to the requirements of the program, and
literally -- the participants must be current on a monthly $150 fee to
graduate.

On Tuesday, after meeting the requirements placed by Judge Blanchard,
the first four graduates' charges were officially dropped, proving
that drug court can and does work as an alternative to traditional
punishment.

This more individualized approach makes more sense than recycling
offenders through an expensive prison system that doesn't place enough
of a premium on rehabilitation. Making rehabilitation a priority means
that we are looking for more permanent solutions, rather than
rotations in and out of prison. If drug court can turn this initial
success into a continued track record, there is potential for a badly
needed reduction in the crime rate.

Congratulations to the first four drug court graduates. Let's hope
that your example is the start of a successful trend.