Pubdate: Tue, 20 Mar 2001
Source: St. Petersburg Times (FL)
Copyright: 2001 St. Petersburg Times
Contact:  490 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Website: http://www.sptimes.com/
Forum: http://www.sptimes.com/Forums/ubb/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi
Author: Jamie Malernee
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts)

WAR ON DRUGS TO EMPLOY COURTROOM TACTICS

Hernando Officials Want To Set Up A New Drug Court To Help Treat And 
Monitor Addicts And Halt The Cycle Of Substance Abuse And Crime.

Sometimes the court system can seem like a revolving door.

People are arrested, convicted, serve their time and -- after the system 
spits them back out they reoffend and do it all over again.

Often, drugs are the culprit, officials say. Which is why Hernando County 
authorities are working to establish a new type of court that will help 
treat and monitor addicts in the hope that the cycle of substance abuse and 
crime will end.

"It's really exciting," said Clerk of the Court Karen Nicolai. "The whole 
court changes. Instead of, "You've done bad and we're going to throw you in 
jail,' it becomes, "You need to change' ... and everyone in the court 
system becomes an advocate."

Hernando County's future drug court is still a ways from starting. 
Officials want to begin holding the specialized court between six months 
and a year from now, and are currently wrestling with funding issues. But 
already, various members of the legal, medical and law enforcement 
community are expressing hope.

The court would work like this:

A select group of offenders who want to stop abusing drugs and alcohol 
would be tapped for the program. (Accused drug dealers and violent 
criminals would be generally excluded from eligibility). Then, instead of 
going to jail for their offenses, the "clients" would agree to treatment 
and strict monitoring. They would be required to go to counseling, submit 
to weekly and random drug screening and appear in court once a week to 
report on their progress. This process would go on for at least one year, 
with certain requirements lessening with time.

Circuit Judge Richard Tombrink, who already presides over a specialized 
court for domestic violence offenders, will head the drug court.

"Nationwide, drug courts have a tremendous success rate," Tombrink said. 
"We have the carrot and the stick. The carrot is, we're going to try to 
help (people) if they want help. The stick is, if you mess up, you go back 
for prosecution or sentencing. Jail."

The system works, statistics show. In a recent study of drug courts in 
Escambia and Okaloosa counties, graduates were significantly less likely to 
be re-arrested as non-participants and were twice as likely to be employed 
at the time of discharge. Specifically, 48 percent of Escambia's graduates 
were re-arrested within 30 months of completing the program, versus 86 
percent of non-graduates. Twenty-six percent of Okaloosa's graduates were 
arrested, compared to 63 percent of non-graduates, according to the Florida 
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association.

A key factor in keeping recidivism down is continual followup, said Sharon 
Rose, a division manager of the Harbor Behavioral Health Care Institute. 
Rose said that her agency often sees people who will not admit they have a 
problem or, after they admit their addiction, fall back into old patterns. 
Drug court would help prevent that, she said.

"It really is hard in substance abuse treatment to get that follow through, 
but the court forces it. And if they don't follow through, there are 
consequences," Rose said. "It won't be easy. This is going to be a tough 
program. But it will give people a chance to avoid a criminal record and to 
get sober. It's a double win."

A recent study shows substance abuse begins early for many Hernando 
residents. A tenth of all middle school students went to school drunk or 
high during the past school year, and a third of high school students have 
tried an illicit drug other than marijuana, according to the study, done by 
the state Department of Children and Families. The study also shows 
Hernando teens use alcohol, drugs and tobacco at a rate higher than the 
state average.

Because drug courts have been so successful, they are proliferating 
nationwide. The first court was established in Miami-Dade County in 1989. 
Today there are more than 800 similar programs throughout the United 
States, Tombrink said. Hillsborough County established such a court in 1992 
and four years later, started the state's first drug court for juvenile 
offenders. Citrus County began holding drug court in June.

Not only does research show drug courts help people get off drugs, it also 
shows that they save money.

Osborne James, who oversees Marion County's drug court, said the program 
has saved his county more than $2-million since its inception by treating 
people, instead of throwing them in jail and spending $24,000 a year per 
person to feed and house them.

And that does not include the money saved if the person stays off drugs and 
never has to be arrested again. Nor does that take into account lower crime 
rates and the creation of parents who are better fit to raise their children.

All this, for $50,000 to 60,000 in administrative costs a year, Nicolai 
estimated.

Sheriff Richard Nugent said drug court will help the entire community, not 
just addicts.

"From a sheriff's standpoint, if we can knock down the demand side for 
drugs, it helps us (chip away at) the supply side," he said. "And it saves 
taxpayers money in the long run."
- ---
MAP posted-by: GD