DRUG COURTS SAVE MONEY, LIVES TOO

Program should go statewide. 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 start-up costs at $475,000, but that investment would be
quickly recouped and then some by reduced prison costs. It's a win-win
proposition.