STATEWIDE DRUG COURT CAN SAVE MONEY, LIVES

State Auditor Phil Bryant wants to get one thing clear: The proposal for a
statewide drug court does not mean going easy on offenders.

"This is not a hug-a-thug program," he said this week.

It would be easy to brand the idea of a drug court as being "soft on crime"
- - until you look at the results of programs like one in the nearby 14th
Circuit, where so many of the participants stay clean and sober, even those
who have been arrested time and again on drug offenses.

The 14th Circuit drug court offers Mississippi - which is considering
implementing such a program statewide - a pilot program of sorts.

That program, which consists of four phases, has been successful under the
leadership of Judge Keith Starrett.

A statewide drug court makes sense, first of all for the most practical of
reasons: It would save money. Bryant estimates it would save Mississippi
$5.4 million on the first 500 participants alone.

But a drug court also offers an opportunity for drug offenders to make their
way back to being productive members of society. That doesn't mean the
program is a "soft" solution - ask any of the people who are participating
now. The strict structure of the program helps ensure they will be
successful.

We urge lawmakers to establish a drug court system statewide.

So far, the state Senate has passed a bill that would put the Administrative
Office of Courts in charge of such a program. The bill now is pending in the
House. One concern is that the bill provides no money for the statewide
system - but Bryant has pointed out that federal funds are available.

With the right strategy for implementation and funding, this is a program
that can save money - and save many Mississippians.