PENCE'S DRUG PLAN STRESSES TREATMENT

FRANKFORT -- Gov. Ernie Fletcher's administration wants better drug
treatment, rather than prison sentences, for offenders.

The state plans to cut the number of nonviolent offenders in prison
and may put off opening a 1,000-bed prison under construction in
Elliott County, Lt. Gov. Steve Pence said.

Pence, who also is Fletcher's justice secretary, wants a backlog of
evidence testing at state crime labs eliminated by April 1 and plans
to thoroughly review the state's drug problems and what is needed to
solve them. He also wants drug courts expanded.

Karyn Hascal, acting director of the state Division of Substance
Abuse, said the state doesn't have the resources to handle the demand
for treatment.

"We're pretty busy trying to Band-Aid the system and deal with the
lines of people at the door," Hascal said.

The Kentucky Health and Family Services Cabinet estimates that 348,000
people have drug or alcohol problems; last year, 22,000 received
substance-abuse treatment.

The state spends more than $20 million a year, most of it federal
money, on treatment and prevention.

The backlog at crime labs has stalled prosecutions.

"I have been assured that backlog will be gone by April 1," Pence
said.

If not, he said he will place the labs directly under the supervision
of the Justice Cabinet.

To cut the backlog, Pence said, the labs will eliminate tests in which
the defendant agrees to plead guilty -- field tests by an officer
would then suffice. Also, two more chemists have been hired using
federal money.

The administration also would shuffle various legal offices under the
Justice Cabinet -- including state police, corrections and juvenile
justice -- into a single legal department.

The idea is to try more cases in-house rather than awarding contracts
to outside lawyers.

Pence's proposals, which were presented last week to the Senate
Judiciary Committee, were welcomed by lawmakers and advocates.

But House Democratic Leader Rocky Adkins of Sandy Hook was
disappointed that the $90 million Elliott County prison, which had
been scheduled to be finished in June, would instead be delayed.

"This is going to be a big economic impact on Elliott County and the
whole region," Adkins said. "I'm going to do everything I can to keep
that project on schedule."

Pence acknowledged that the 300 jobs the prison would create are
important, but said, "I don't think we can let that be our driving
force on our rate of incarceration. Somebody has to pay for this."