HAMPTON'S DRUG COURT IS UP AND RUNNING

Finally. It Enrolled Its First Two Addicts This Week.

Kudos to the agencies and individuals who made it happen, contributing
expertise, support, cash and in-kind assistance. They know drug court works:
It's based on the rational premise that preventing crime by addicts depends
on treating the underlying addiction. It gets at the root of the problem.

Drug court demands a lot from participants, who are nonviolent drug
offenders. If they want to stay out of jail, they have to stay clean, work,
save money, support their families, take part in treatment and go to court
frequently for status reports. And it gives a lot: the hope of a way out of
the downward spiral of addiction.

In a display of regional spirit, the Hampton and Newport News drug courts
are being run jointly. That's smart, because it saves money.

The local drug courts can make a difference in the community. Drug courts
save money. They prevent crime. They deserve the support - moral and
financial - of their city governments, as well as the state.