DRUG COURT CONCEPT WORTH IMPLEMENTING

Seventh District Judicial Court Judge Kathy Johnson knows a thing or two
about crime and the people who commit crime. And if her personal experience
of seeing crime from the bench is not enough, she has done a little
research that solidifies her view: most crime is drug related.

Worse yet, a great number of criminals who are caught repeat their crimes
after their sentences have been served.

Addictions to drugs often drive people to commit crime. It's a vicious
cycle that costs the State of Louisiana millions of dollars.

That's why the Louisiana judge has been studying and working on developing
a drug court for Concordia and Catahoula parishes.

The idea is simple. She can encourage criminals to seek out drug
rehabilitation, but she cannot make them attend.

Johnson envisions the drug court as a place to address a growing number of
criminals: non-violent minor felons who have drug problems. The judge says
such a court would work as an "intense probation" with a focus on regular
drug tests and detailed drug counseling.

According to studies on the subject, proper drug counseling can break the
cycle of addiction and help the addicts move past their lives of addiction
and crime.

As Johnson is well aware, society can choose to ignore such problems or try
to deal with them in the most effective way possible.

The drug court concept seems to be more than worth the effort - even if it
helped only a small number of criminals.