SMALL TOWN EXPERIMENTS WITH A COURT FOR DRUG USERS

THUNDERBOLT (AP)-- Wendy Johnson lost her job and paid thousands in fines
for a DUI arrest last March. But the 26-year-old says she looks forward to
heading back to court twice a month. Johnson is one of the first graduates
of an unusual court just for minor drug and alcohol offenders in this
suburb of Savannah. The program aims to combine counseling with punishment
to help minor offenders avoid more serious crimes down the road. "You feel
good when you tell (the judge) the good things that have happened to you,"
Johnson said. "You walk out feeling good about yourself." The idea for
Thunderbolt's drug court came when town officials sought a different way to
handle a yearly load of about 300 criminal cases. Georgia's Administrative
Office of the Courts granted the program $10,000 in startup money. "The
hope is by providing them with education, counseling and treatment, that
they will no longer be involved in the criminal justice system," said James
Banks, drug-court coordinator for the state administrative office. There
are already 19 drug courts in state, superior and municipal courts in
Georgia, and another eight jurisdictions are considering them, Banks said.
With a population of about 2,340, Thunderbolt has 40 people enrolled in its
program. In the months since it started, 10 have left the drug court,
either through their own volition or by getting kicked out. Thunderbolt
officials said one of the program's major advantages is a speedy
turnaround. Cases are usually heard within two weeks of arrest, more than
twice as fast as many state court cases. Court Administrator Pat Flynn said
the fast process means quicker help or quicker consequences -- a good thing
for both offenders and the community. "It's an immediate response to an
immediate need," Flynn said. The court costs $35,000 to $40,000 a year, all
of which comes from the fees assessed to defendants. "For a city this size,
I think we're doing a remarkable job," said Councilman John McKenna.
Besides intensive supervision, which can include home electronic
monitoring, the drug court also sends those who need it into an immediate
drug-treatment program, including an inpatient, 28-day program if needed. A
drug and alcohol counselor sits in on court and meets immediately with new
defendants to set up their evaluations. Even with all the help, the drug
court program can end up costing far less than jailing people. Kevin
Street, the chief judge in Thunderbolt, said the program is working well so
far. "The success with drug court is we put the keys to the jail in their
hands," Street said.