News (Media Awareness Project) - US OH: Editorial: Break A Habit |
| Title: | US OH: Editorial: Break A Habit |
| Published On: | 2001-11-02 |
| Source: | Beacon Journal, The (OH) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-25 05:36:39 |
BREAK A HABIT
Treatment Beats Jail For Drug Users And Taxpayers Alike
Drug courts work on a system of incentives. They offer drug users many good reasons and opportunities to break their drug habit and stay out of jail or face the music. The proposition is simple. In the Akron drug court, it is: Complete at least a year of treatment or serve up to 180 days in jail.
If the offenders stay in treatment and are free of drugs for at least the last 90 days of the program, drug charges against them are dropped. If they drop out of the program, their original jail sentence is reinstated.
It's an appealing alternative. For addicts -- who often get involved in petty crimes as a result of their addictions -- there is a guarantee of help, rather than months wasted in jail. For the courts, it is a means to keep dockets from getting clogged with petty criminals. It saves jail space needed for violent offenders, and it saves the county and taxpayers money.
Since the Akron drug court opened in 1995, about 1,200 drug abusers have been accepted into the treatment program who are not dealers, do not have past convictions of violent crimes and show some indication they can benefit from participation.
One of the problems with drug addiction, sadly, is that breaking the drug habit is not an easy endeavor. It takes several attempts and persistence that doesn't come easily to many drug abusers. Frequently, too, many offenders don't recognize a good deal when they have it. For instance, of those who have been given the option, about 40 percent have completed or are still participating in the program. Hundreds of others have failed to comply with the court's requirements and have been sanctioned. Bench warrants are out against some 200 others who have dropped out.
Municipal Judge Marvin Shapiro, who presides over the drug court, has declared November amnesty month for dropouts to get back into treatment without facing penalties.
The amnesty recognizes the odds drug users battle to overcome addiction. More than saving court time, jail space or taxpayers' money, the ultimate purpose of the drug court is to salvage lives. If the amnesty prompts the dropouts to take advantage of the second or maybe the third chance, it would be well worth the try.
Treatment Beats Jail For Drug Users And Taxpayers Alike
Drug courts work on a system of incentives. They offer drug users many good reasons and opportunities to break their drug habit and stay out of jail or face the music. The proposition is simple. In the Akron drug court, it is: Complete at least a year of treatment or serve up to 180 days in jail.
If the offenders stay in treatment and are free of drugs for at least the last 90 days of the program, drug charges against them are dropped. If they drop out of the program, their original jail sentence is reinstated.
It's an appealing alternative. For addicts -- who often get involved in petty crimes as a result of their addictions -- there is a guarantee of help, rather than months wasted in jail. For the courts, it is a means to keep dockets from getting clogged with petty criminals. It saves jail space needed for violent offenders, and it saves the county and taxpayers money.
Since the Akron drug court opened in 1995, about 1,200 drug abusers have been accepted into the treatment program who are not dealers, do not have past convictions of violent crimes and show some indication they can benefit from participation.
One of the problems with drug addiction, sadly, is that breaking the drug habit is not an easy endeavor. It takes several attempts and persistence that doesn't come easily to many drug abusers. Frequently, too, many offenders don't recognize a good deal when they have it. For instance, of those who have been given the option, about 40 percent have completed or are still participating in the program. Hundreds of others have failed to comply with the court's requirements and have been sanctioned. Bench warrants are out against some 200 others who have dropped out.
Municipal Judge Marvin Shapiro, who presides over the drug court, has declared November amnesty month for dropouts to get back into treatment without facing penalties.
The amnesty recognizes the odds drug users battle to overcome addiction. More than saving court time, jail space or taxpayers' money, the ultimate purpose of the drug court is to salvage lives. If the amnesty prompts the dropouts to take advantage of the second or maybe the third chance, it would be well worth the try.
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