DRUG COURTS HAVING SUCCESS

In my contacts with prosecutors in recent years, I have heard more and more
talk about drug courts. Drug courts have been around since 1989, and have
established enough of a record to give us some idea of whether they are
effective.

American University tells us that more than 300,000 drug-using offenders
have participated in drug courts since their inception. According to the
National Drug Court Institute, there are currently 946 drug courts in
operation in the United States with another 411 in the planning process.

Of those in operation, over half are for adults and about a fourth are for
juveniles. Others service both adults and juveniles, and some are family
drug courts.

A drug court is a special court that is given the responsibility of
focusing on drug-using offenders. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports
that two-thirds of all probationers may be considered drug and alcohol
involved; therefore, drug courts can impact almost all crime that a
community experiences.

Drug courts are empowered to focus on the problem with effective tools.
These tools include putting drug-using offenders through comprehensive
supervision, drug testing, treatment services, and, very importantly,
immediate sanctions and incentives.

A drug court program will cause judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers,
substance abuse treatment specialists, probation officers, law enforcement,
correctional personnel, educational and vocational experts, community
leaders and many others to work together to bring their full weight to bear
in forcing the offender to deal with his or her substance abuse problem.
This is not currently available at this level within the present system.

The results have been very impressive. The Government Accounting Office
reports a 71 percent success rate. A study by Columbia University indicates
the average recidivism rate for those who complete the drug court program
is between 4 and 29 percent, while it is 48 percent for those who do not
participate in a drug court program.

Much of this success is attributed to the fact that drug courts provide
closer, more comprehensive supervision and much more frequent drug testing
and monitoring during the program than other forms of community
supervision. The result is that drug use and criminal behavior are
substantially reduced while offenders are participating in drug court.

There are other positive by-products from drug courts. The National Drug
Court Institute claims drug courts have resulted in the birth of 1,000
drug-free babies, 3,500 parents have been able to regain custody of
children, 4,500 have re-engaged in the payment of child support, and 73
percent have retained or obtained employment.

Because drug courts require frequent drug testing, intensive supervision
and judicial monitoring, and immediate court sanctions that include terms
of incarceration in response to program violations, drug courts are
actually tougher on offenders. Without drug courts, the system typically
gives the same offenders little jail time, supervision, drug testing or
treatment, and the offenders have little reason to change their behavior.

Typically, a drug court program will begin as a diversionary program
dealing with less serious offenders. Such programs often start out with
charges of simple possession or under the influence charges and involve
offenders without a prior criminal history. However, as these programs have
proven their effectiveness in controlling drug usage and crime, they are
often expanded to probation and drug using offenders who have committed
nondrug offenses.

Another attractive aspect of drug courts is that they actually save money.
Estimates of incarceration costs in this country range from $20,000 to
$50,000 per person, per year. By contrast, the costs for a comprehensive
drug court system range from $2,500 to $4,000 per person per year. This
does not take into consideration the benefits that come from increased
responsibility, productivity and reduction in other crimes. It has been
estimated that there is a saving of $10 for every dollar invested in a drug
court program.

Among the greatest challenges to starting up a drug court program are
community support and establishment of necessary services. It is crucial to
the success of the program that those involved in the criminal justice
system work cooperatively with one another.

It is equally crucial that a community have the necessary support services
to insure accountability and rehabilitation. These include competent and
effective substance abuse treatment specialists, probation officers,
vocational and educational experts and community leaders.

At the present, there is a small group of interested individuals who are
exploring the feasibility of establishing a drug court program in the 10th
judicial district. They deserve our enthusiastic support in this endeavor.

There is probably no family in America today that has not been adversely
impacted by the drug problem. We have the opportunity to move forward with
a program of proven effectiveness that will change lives for the better and
save money in the process. Opportunity often knocks only once.