CHARLES DUNAGIN: DRUG COURT WORKING WELL IN PIKE, LINCOLN, WALTHALL

The statistics - including money the public saves by not supporting people
in jail and the contributions these same people can make as they are being
rehabilitated - are proof enough that drug court is a good thing.

But that's only the beginning of the story.

More important is the human element, the changed lives, the families that
are renewed, hope that is rekindled.

I was already sold on drug court, which was instituted in the 14th Judicial
District by Circuit Judge Keith Starrett a few years ago.

But I'm even more convinced now after attending graduation exercises for
some of the participants at the Pike County Courthouse Monday.

Anyone who doubts the program works should attend one of those ceremonies
where participants get a certificate and are invited, along with family
members, to testify about their turnaround.

It gets emotional at times, and it's hard to hold back tears as stories are
told about what was two years ago and what is today.

One man, a college graduate, who admitted he slipped during his
rehabilitation, told about having to spend 10 days in jail which, he now
says, was a learning experience.

"I wasn't cut out for jail," he said, and the experience will help him stay
on the road to recovery.

Drug court, for the uninformed, is a program whereby certain non-violent
felons who are believed to be addicted to drugs or alcohol are given a
chance to enter a closely monitored and supervised treatment and
rehabilitation program instead of going to prison.

Drug dealers are not eligible, only those whose crimes are believed to be
related to an addiction.

The other circuit judge in the district, Mike Smith, and the district
attorney's office fully cooperate.

Defendants recommended for the program by the D.A.'s office must enter
guilty pleas to their crimes, and if they mess up the judge can send them
to prison. If they do well they ultimately will go back to society without
a prison record.

Some mess up. A lot don't.

My opinion is that most of those who graduated Monday, without having to go
to the state penitentiary, will do a lot better - in fact already are doing
better because most of them now have jobs - than they would have had they
gone to Parchman or even if they had not been arrested in the first place.

Many people who go to prison come out hardened criminals.

State Rep. Jim Barnett, a Brookhaven physician, told Monday of an
acquaintance who was never arrested but died of a drug overdose.

I was invited by Judge Starrett to attend Monday's ceremonies to introduced
State Supreme Court Chief Justice Edwin L. Pittman who was the keynote
speaker. Pittman and I were in the same Sunday School class in Hattiesburg
a long time ago.

During his political career, Pittman served as a state senator and deskmate
of then State Sen. R.B. Reeves of McComb. Later he was secretary of state,
attorney general and Supreme Court justice. He long has been one of the
good guys in Mississippi politics, in my view.

He has been on the side of progressive judicial reforms since being chief
justice, and now he plans to back legislation making drug courts statewide.

Rep. Barnett, along with Reps. Clem Nettles of Pike County and Kenny Moore
of Columbia, who also were at Monday's graduation, are among sponsors of
the legislation. Barnett predicts it'll pass next year.

Pittman said he'll use the success of the local drug court, the first in
Mississippi, to try to convince the Legislature to make it statewide.

"I keep hearing that big government is dead," Pittman said, "and that's OK.
But effective government is needed."

Regional drug courts throughout the state, properly run like the one in
Pike, Lincoln and Walthall County would be effective government.

As someone observed at the conclusion of Monday's ceremony, "Pike County
finally got it right."