DRUG COURT SAVING MONEY, SALVAGING LIVES

It costs $53 a day to house an inmate at the Clark County Jail.

By kicking her heroin habit, Sasha VanEtten saved the county as much as
$19,000.

VanEtten, 24, was one of five former users who graduated Thursday from
Superior Court's drug court. Had VanEtten not succeeded at sobriety, she
would have faced between nine months and a year in jail.

But as defense attorney Mary Arden noted, the program isn't just about
saving money, it's also about salvaging lives.

Gesturing to VanEtten's large cheering section, which took up the front row
in Judge James Rulli's courtroom, Arden said, "They have a daughter back, a
cousin back, a granddaughter back and a mommy back."

U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Vancouver, was on hand to applaud the graduates.
Before running for Congress, he spent 23 years as a clinical psychologist
and worked with drug addicts.

"I have some sense of the challenge it is to overcome a drug addiction -
and your courage in facing that is to be commended," said Baird.

The 3-year-old court is supported by more than $600,000 in federal and
state funds, and Baird said it is important to let people know that drug
courts can work.

"People really don't want to spend their hard-earned tax dollars unless
they think it is going to make a difference," Baird said. "It's not just
you that is on the line. It's the thousands of other people who need
programs like this to kick their habit."

More than 700 drug courts have started across the country since the first
one opened in Miami in 1989. Supporters say drug courts make financial
sense. A study by the nonprofit RAND Corp. found that it costs more than
twice as much to keep addicts in prison than it does to treat them.

But the courts don't guarantee success, particularly ones like Clark
County's that only accept hard-core users who have at least one prior
felony conviction.

Between January and June, 40 people have flunked out of drug court and 10
have graduated. Even graduates don't always make it through the program
without relapsing.

Sanctions include jail time, community service or work crew. Some people
are ordered to submit extra drug tests or attend additional support groups.

But they are always encouraged to stick with it.

One graduate, who had been addicted to prescription pills since 1980, said
Judge Rulli has "an iron fist but a really kind, gentle soul.

"You really understand addiction, and that everyone deserves a second
chance," she told the judge.

Graduates must stay in the program at least one year and pay a $500 drug
court fee.

After graduation, they start paying off their other court fees, typically
about $2,000. They must also have a full-time job, attend school or be a
homemaker.

VanEtten, mother of 16-month-old Justin, said she plans to attend Clark
College.

After the ceremony, she reflected on how her life has changed. She started
using heroin when she was 19.

"I was addicted to heroin. I couldn't detox. I was four months pregnant and
still using. I was in denial. Now I go to NA (Narcotics Anonymous)
meetings. I don't want to use. It scares me."