TAFT SAYS INITIATIVE THREATENS DRUG COURT

Critic Says Treatment Should Be First Option

COLUMBUS | Gov. Bob Taft and others lavished praise on Ohio's drug court
system Thursday saying it is threatened by a November ballot initiative
that would divert nonviolent drug offenders into treatment rather than
prison. What was supposed to be the unveiling of a study on drug courts
turned into a session where Taft, a judge and a drug court graduate told
tales of the system's successes.

Taft told reporters the $200,000 study, funded by a federal grant, was not
yet available. Ed Orlett, who is leading the drug-reform ballot initiative,
the Ohio Campaign for New Drug Policies, attended the press conference and
called it a "fiasco." Orlett's campaign, part of a national effort to
change drug laws, is circulating petitions to put a constitutional
amendment on the ballot. The amendment would send non-violent, first- and
second-time drug offenders to treatment rather than jail.

The provision would not apply to drug traffickers. Arizona and California
already have passed similar provisions. Taft said the state's 50 drug
courts, where judges can use their discretion to send drug offenders to
treatment or jail on a case-by-case basis, are threatened by the ballot
initiative.

"Drug addiction is not a one-size-fits-all problem, and treatment can't be
a one-size-fits-all solution," Taft said. "Unfortunately, the effectiveness
of our drug courts is threatened by the unsafe drug treatment proposal that
Ohioans will very likely vote on in November." He said he would like to
create more drug courts but doesn't know if or when money might be
available to do so - a remark that drew fire from Orlett.

"It was a bad day for the governor," said Orlett, a former state
representative from Dayton. "He admitted he doesn't need data to support
drug courts over our initiative. Then he confessed that he has no plan to
grow the (drug-court) system unless money falls from heaven."

Taft revealed a few general findings from the study, performed by the
University of Cincinnati, Ohio State University and the Ohio Office of
Criminal Justice Services: o Drug courts lower re-arrest rates o Judicial
involvement is critical for treatment effectiveness o Drug courts allow for
necessary teamwork between the court, treatment providers, the probation
system and law enforcement.

Orlett supports drug courts but says there aren't enough. Twenty-eight
counties have 50 drug courts, 25 for adults, 17 for juveniles and eight
that deal with parents charged with abuse or neglect. "There are only 25
adult felony drug courts in Ohio," he said. "Over 6,000 people were charged
with felony drug abuse. And for 75 percent of them, there was no drug
court. Our proposal is the logical expansion and extension of the present
drug court system."

Taft noted that all judges - not just those in drug courts - can choose to
sentence non-violent drug offenders to treatment rather than prison, and
said Ohio law encourages such an approach for these offenses.

Orlett questioned whether there is adequate funding for such treatment.

Joe Andrews, Taft's spokesman, said the press conference was scheduled for
Thursday assuming the study would be done. "It is pretty much done, it just
wasn't in the form of being able to hand out," he said. "It was already
scheduled, and the time constraints were so tight right now we just went
ahead and did it."