DISTRICT ATTORNEY: DRUG COURT PLANNED FOR SIXTH CIRCUIT COURT DISTRICT

WOODVILLE -- On Wednesday, Sixth Circuit District Attorney Ronnie Harper
confirmed a drug court is planned for at least part of the Sixth Circuit
Court district.

Harper said Judge Lillie Blackmon Sanders has applied for a grant to fund
the operation of a drug court. Sanders and Judge Forrest A. Johnson share
the caseload in the district, which includes Adams, Amite, Franklin and
Wilkinson counties.

Sanders handles the Wilkinson County docket, while Johnson handles cases
from Amite and Franklin counties. The two judges split the caseload in
Adams County.

Attempts to reach Sanders and Johnson on Thursday were unsuccessful.

"I'm not sure if the grant has actually been approved, but some of our
prosecutors have been instructed to sign up for (drug court) training,"
Harper said.

In Pike County, 14th Circuit Court Judge Keith Starrett has operated a drug
court since 1999. Starrett's program served as a model for state lawmakers,
who passed a law this year allowing drug courts in all state circuit courts.

Although the legislature did not fund their operation, at least five new
drug courts are currently planned in Mississippi circuit court districts,
according to a report published Tuesday.

The Mississippi Department of Corrections is facing a $70 million deficit
while the state has recorded the second-highest incarceration rate in the
nation.

According to state auditors, the annual cost of incarcerating an individual
in the MDOC is estimated at $16,757. The yearly cost of treating a
participant in Starrett's drug court is less than $5,000.

Based on those figures, taxpayers would save $5.4 million dollars on the
first 500 drug court participants. Only non-violent offenders with drug
possession or petty crimes related to their substance abuse are eligible
for participation in drug court.

Repeat offenders and those charged with drug sales are not eligible.

Police and prosecutors must recommend participants for the program.

Participants enter guilty pleas within days of their arrests and are placed
under intense treatment and supervision by the court, including frequent
drug testing.

Those who fail tests or otherwise violate the terms of their supervision
can be immediately sent to prison.

"Drug courts can work when judges are firm and consistent with their
handling of the cases. They (participants) have to know they will be held
responsible for their actions," Harper said.

Phase I of Starrett's program begins with 10 weeks of out-patient care, or
from 42 days to six months of in-patient care at NewHaven Recovery Center
in Brookhaven.

Phase II can last one to two years and requires participants to report to
Starrett's court each Monday and undergo random drug-testing two to three
times a week.

Participants must also meet with a probation officer, attend support
meetings and, upon further review, gain employment or become full-time
students or community service volunteers.

All fines and fees must be paid before participants can move up to Phase III.

At that level, they report to Starrett's court on a monthly basis and
continue to undergo drug-testing several times randomly each month.

Phase III normally lasts a year.

Phase IV is a non-reporting probationary period that lasts one year.

Since 1989, over 1,200 drug courts have been initiated in America's
judicial systems, with average program completion rates of about 50 percent
among more than 300,000 participants.