DRUG COURT WINS GRANT

The 11th Circuit Drug Court, which started a year ago, is scheduled to
receive a much needed $450,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The 11th Circuit, which includes Bolivar, Coahoma, Quitman and Tunica
counties, will utilize the grant to expand the Drug Court Program.
Eleven participants from Bolivar and Coahoma counties are already
enrolled in Drug Court.

The three-year grant, which began Sept. 1 and runs through Aug. 31,
2007, is provided by the Department of Justice Office of Justice
Programs. The 11th Circuit Drug Court has previously operated entirely
with volunteers and no budget, according to Becky Cochran, court
administrator.

Participants meet once every two weeks with Circuit Judge or Circuit
Judge Larry O. Lewis. The volunteers, which include staff from the
district attorney's office, drug and alcohol officers, defense
attorneys and court staff, do the drug testing and monitoring of the
participants.

The grant will allow the court to hire a coordinator and a case
manager to supervise Drug Court participants. Smith said he hopes to
be able to hire an attorney for the Drug Court during the second year.

Currently, participants are in the program for about a year, according
to Smith, and the program is set up in three phases. Part of the
program includes recovery meetings, reporting to the Mississippi
Department of Corrections, drug testing two to three times a week,
along with meeting the volunteers, community service and either
obtaining a job or completing the GED program. All of this must be
done before the participant is allowed to graduate.

"We will be able to expand our program, and we will also be able to
have a case manager that will allow for closer monitoring of the
participants," Cochran added. "It will allow us to pay for some
treatment costs, which will get the participants into treatment faster."

Participants are required to repay the treatment costs as well as pay
court costs and fines before they are permitted to graduate from the
Drug Court program.

Those allowed to participate in the Drug Court program must fall
within the guidelines of the state and federal law. Those who have a
history of violence, robbery, sexual battery, drug trafficking and
mandatory sentencing, among others, are excluded from the program.

Such crimes as shoplifting, petty theft and the like, are allowed to
participate in the the program. The participants are typically those
who are dependent on drugs and their crime is a result of that dependency.

The program works so well, that Smith said that's why they received
such a large grant.

"Drug Court programs have the lowest repeat offender rate," he added.
"The state also finds that the program works.

"The beauty of the program is that when young kids make a mistake,
their life doesn't have to be over," he explained. "It shows them
society does care. It's just a good program."

Smith added the program also shows that the establishment can work
with them, even though there are sanctions if they don't keep their
end of the program up.

"We're hoping to change hearts and minds," he said. "These people are
very deserving of a chance. The people on our staff have a genuine
interest in helping the participants."

The judge added what makes the drug court really work is the
participants ability to break the cycle of drug addiction by changing
their habits and lifestyles.

"The drugs are just killing our young people," he said. One of the
best things I do as a judge is see people turn around and change. We
are excited."

The 11th Circuit is the second Delta district to receive a Dept. of
Justice grant to operate drug courts. the 4th Circuit of Leflore,
Sunflower and Washington counties received a $500,000 grant from the
Justice Department on Sept. 15, 2003.

Eleven drug courts operate in Mississippi, and four are in the
planning stages.