DRUG COURT FACTS

The Tribune's Aug. 18 article about substance abuse court programs
left out some key information: * Defendants participate voluntarily
after a careful explanation of all their options. * Recidivism is
much less with SAC programs than with citations/fines. * Many, many
participants in SAC programs have expressed gratitude to me and to my
staff for becoming "clean and sober" and for "getting their lives
back." * Costs paid by defendants for random drug tests, evaluations,
treatment, etc., are subtracted from their court-ordered fines. * The
article did not include all the mitigating circumstances in two cases
it covered.

People are entitled to their own opinions , but give them enough
facts to build an informed opinion, not one skewed for some reason.

Janice Auger, Mayor

Taylorsville