COMMUNITY OFFENDER PLAN WORKS, EX-ADDICT SAYS

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A program that treats nonviolent drug offenders
without putting them in jail is working, say police and other
officials who point to statistics and court records. They also point
to people such as Ernest Hamilton, 66, who stopped his cocaine habit
more than four years ago.

''I think back to where I came from,'' said Hamilton, an Owasso
retiree. ''So much was given to me, I want to give it back.''

He spoke at this week's drug court steering committee and said he
could have ended his addiction sooner if he had believed in the
program when he started.

Hamilton, who became an addict at 52, said he mistakenly believed he
could quit cocaine at will. It took two trips to jail to convince him
he was wrong.

''I started hustling drugs, lying to my family, lying to my friends,''
he said. ''It was a never-ending cycle.''

Since quitting, Hamilton says he volunteers with senior citizens and
returns to drug court meetings to encourage others.

The Oklahoma County Drug Court is one of dozens of such programs
across the country. Oklahoma City police Sgt. Vanessa Price, who
checks drug court participants' progress with surprise visits, said
the program has several benefits.

Price said 90 drug offenders have graduated from the local drug court
since its founding in 1998. Of those, she said, only three have been
rearrested.

Price said taxpayers would have paid more than $1.3 million for each
year the 87 successful graduates might have been in jail. With an
average jail sentence of five years, the savings for the state could
be equated to about $6.5 million, she said.

Drug court workers handle 118 offenders. The program has treated 375
since it began.