DEKALB COUNTY DRUG COURT IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

There is certainly one foray into private life on behalf of the government
that unquestionably has failed.

The so-called war on drugs continues to be the most flagrant excuse to date
for the wholesale of civil liberties in this country, and neither of the
two dominant political parties can muster the courage to capitulate to reality.

But in the interim period between denial and enlightenment, some counties
in this nation choose to combat crime and drug use in a positive way, and
it just so happens that DeKalb is one of them.

A story for the April 21 edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
chronicled the astounding success of the DeKalb County Drug Court.
Underlying the fledgling institution is the recognition that drug
addiction, combined with crime, provides society with a unique challenge
that transcends the typical crime and punishment method employed for other
offenses.

The Drug Court is actually an intensive program characterized by group
counseling six days a week, mandatory attendance Alcoholics Anonymous or
Narcotics Anonymous three days a week, job counseling, random weekly drug
tests and a visit to the Drug Court every Friday.

One of the participants highlighted in the story was Tyrone Walker, who
said that the Drug Court was a "heavy hand in your life."

Yeah, I bet. In return for his efforts at rehabilitation, Walker escaped a
10-year sentence for felony shoplifting.

It is important to note that this program attempts to solve the underlying
problem of much of the property crime that occurs here in Atlanta. The
prohibition of narcotics creates a black market in which actors must work
outside the legal parameters of society. There is no redress for theft of
ill-gotten money or drugs, and the black market causes the price of drugs
to be exorbitantly high, raising the value of illicit substances well above
what would be expected in normal market conditions. Drug courts correctly
focus on the negative externality of the behavior caused by prohibition.
Drug courts do not absolve a criminal for their actions, and admittance is
strictly voluntary by invitation. Participants are made to understand that
their drug use led to a life of crime, and for that they must take full
responsibility for the laws they have broken. But it is through the act of
rehabilitation, rather than pointless confinement, that the offender can
repay society.

According to a Government Accounting Office report (1997), 71 percent of
the participants in 1,200 drug courts across the nation have either
successfully completed the program or are currently enrolled. Most rehab
clinics can not boast such impressive numbers.

Eligibility for the program is restricted to non-violent criminals that
have an admitted history of substance abuse, opening up space in over
crowded prison systems for the true predators in our society (sex
offenders, burglars, arsonists, murders).

By lowering recidivism rates, drug courts reduce the long term and short
term costs of trials and prison. In a study published by the National
Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (1998), the cost savings created by
these programs amounts to $10 for every $1 spent on drug courts.

With so many local and state governments facing tax revenue shortfalls,
perhaps investing in the rehabilitation of non-violent offenders remains
the most prudent fiscal, not to mention social, investment available.

The United States now shamefully incarcerates over two million of its
citizens, and the most prominent reason for the prisoner explosion is the
war on drugs.

Unfortunately, the war on drugs finds continual support from liberals and
conservatives. Conservatives feel obligated to punish "immoral" behavior,
and liberals have no reservations about using the police power of
government to socially engineer our society. Contrary to popular opinion I
am no myrmidon, and I am open to new ideas regarding existing social and
economic problems.

Ideas like drug courts are rare, and we as a society should take notice
when innovative solutions are presented. Bravo DeKalb County!