Pubdate: Wed, 12 Jun 2002
Source: Daily Press (VA)
Copyright: 2002 The Daily Press
Contact:  http://www.dailypress.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/585
Author: Patti Rosenberg
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts)

GRANT ALLOWS HAMPTON TO LAUNCH DRUG COURT PLANS

HAMPTON -- Hampton officials expect to launch a new court program for drug 
offenders within the next few months, thanks to a $356,000 grant the city 
is getting from the U.S. Justice Department.

Called drug court, the program targets non-violent substance abusers in the 
criminal justice system. Instead of jail, it provides treatment and support 
services, with jail as a threat if participants do not comply with 
requirements.

Participants undergo intensive supervision, including random testing for 
alcohol and drug use. They also regularly appear before the judge, who can 
impose swift sanctions for any lapses.

About a dozen localities in the state currently have drug courts, among 
them Newport News, which started its program in November 1998. Hampton 
officials hope to have their program up and running by this fall or 
possibly earlier.

Hampton Commonwealth's Attorney Linda Curtis said the program has worked 
well in other parts of the state, and the hope is it will do the same in 
Hampton.

There is a relatively small group of people with addiction problems who are 
in and out of court regularly, Curtis said. She said conventional methods 
have not made as significant a dent on the problem as officials would like.

"We hope to really change lives and to lessen the criminal justice system's 
role in their lives," Curtis said.

"And their role in ours."

The goal is that the new drug court will eventually reduce court caseloads, 
reduce the crime rate and make the community a better place to live, she said.

Of the 24 people who have graduated from the Newport News Drug Court 
program, only one has been rearrested - on a shoplifting charge - said 
Natale Ward, the drug court's administrator. The typical recidivism rate 
among drug abusers is 50 percent, she said.

Graduates have regained custody of children, gotten out of the welfare 
system and become tax-paying citizens, Ward said. Working or being in 
school full-time is one of drug court's requirements, she said.

"We're very excited that something we see on a day-to-day basis working is 
spreading to Hampton," Ward said.

In the 18 years Ward said she has been working in substance abuse and 
mental health programs, she has never seen anything as effective as drug 
court. She attributes that to the fact that it combines treatment with the 
leverage of the court system.

Hampton officials had worried this spring that state budget cuts would 
derail their plans to start a drug court this year. But the federal grant 
plus a cobbling together of resources from a lot of local agencies enabled 
the drug court plan to go forward, said Patty Gilbertson, planning director 
for the Hampton-Newport News Community Services Board.

The grant will keep the Hampton drug court running for two years, 
Gilbertson said. By then, officials think they will be able to lobby state 
and/or local sources for continued funding, she said.

"In the long-run, it saves money," Gilbertson said. "We can lock people up 
forever, but it's not going to change them."
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