DRUG COURT WINS TWICE

Saving Money and Cutting Crime Are 2 Good Reasons to Support
Court

Garfield County will be among five counties that will save some big
money by starting a new adult drug court.

Garfield County will get part of the $1.2 million in state funds to
help initiate the drug court. The court could be established as early
as August.

A drug court is designed to provide an alternative to incarceration
for drug offenders. It works with drug offenders who truly want to
break their dependence on addictive substances. The drug court program
provides opportunities for people to deal with the stresses of getting
their lives back together.

One of the most important factors of the program is it saves money.
The average cost of handling a drug addict through a drug court is
about $2,500 each year per offender versus approximately $17,000 spent
annually for each offender locked up in prison.

The other advantage of the program is it offers intense rehabilitation
for those who take part in the program.

Of course, the key to the success of the program lies with the drug
offender's commitment to getting his or her life back together. A drug
court judge can arrange all sorts of criteria depending upon the needs
of the individual to assist them in removing addictive substances from
their lives.

It's also positive that Enid and Garfield County again are setting
precedence in helping addicts through the legal system. Back in 1998,
Garfield County and Enid ended up with the first multi-jurisdictional
juvenile drug court in May 2000.

All three candidates for Garfield County Sheriff identified drugs as
the major public safety problem in our county. If the drug court can
help addicts who truly want to change their lives, and save money in
the process, it will go a long way in combating this major problem and
making a positive difference in the community.