DRUG COURTS SAVE MONEY, LIVES, TOO

The circuit court district that includes Leflore County has been on the
cutting edge in experimenting with a more effective way than incarceration
to deal with drug offenders.

It is one of three circuit court districts in the state operating a drug
court, which emphasizes treatment as an alternative to imprisonment.

The others are in Southwest Mississippi, where Circuit Judge Keith Starrett
was a pioneer in the effort, and in Hinds County. State Auditor Phil
Bryant, who concentrates his energies on making sure that taxpayers'
dollars are not squandered, has advocated that drug courts be instituted
statewide.

The idea also has the backing of court officials, including Supreme Court
Chief Justice Ed Pittman, as well as a growing number of legislators.

Bryant's agency did an audit to calculate the potential savings. They are
considerable.

It costs about $5,000 a year to put an offender through the drug court
program - almost $12,000 less than what it would cost to imprison him.

Based on an estimated 500 participants, the state would save about $5.3
million to $5.4 million annually, according to Bryant.

In addition to the cost savings, drug courts are a better way to try to
deal with the drug or alcohol addiction that leads to crime. Nonviolent
offenders who are eligible for drug court are given a choice - treatment or
prison.

Those who opt for the former have to get into a rehabilitation program,
hold a job and regularly report back to the court. Because they're working,
they can pay for their treatment, provide for their families and, where
applicable, pay restitution to their victims.

If the drug court participants don't keep their end of the bargain, they go
to prison. If they successfully complete the rehabilitation program, they
get to start their lives over with their criminal record expunged.

It's a program that works, provided the judges are committed to it.

Lawmakers are reluctant to begin any new initiative that comes with a price
tag. Statewide drug courts would have one, but only in the short term.

Bryant estimates startup costs at $475,000, but that investment would be
quickly recouped and then some by reduced prison costs. It's a win-win
proposition.

Greenwood Commonwealth