Pubdate: Fri, 01 Jul 2005
Source: Oklahoman, The (OK)
Copyright: 2005 The Oklahoma Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.oklahoman.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/318
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts)

OKLAHOMA LEADS THE NATION IN DRUG COURT FUNDING

(AP) - Oklahoma leads the nation in per capita funding of drug courts 
following legislative approval of millions of dollars for the specialized 
courts that provide intensive supervision and treatment for drug offenders, 
according to a state agency's analysis.

The Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center, which provides research and 
analysis for the state's criminal justice system, compared funding by 35 
states that appropriate money to drug courts after the 2005 Oklahoma 
Legislature appropriated $8 million more for drug court programs.

The spending plan increased the state's drug court budget for the fiscal 
year that began on Friday to $11.5 million, triple the budget for the 
previous year, the agency said. At that level, the state will spend $3.27 
per capita for drug courts next year - more than any other state.

New Jersey ranks second at $3.10 per capita based on a National Drug Court 
Institute report published in May, the agency said. The national average is 
51 cents per capita. Texas appropriates 3 cents per capita for drug courts, 
according to the agency.

The Oklahoma Sentencing Commission recommended in February that the state 
spend more to supervise probationary defendants. Oklahoma spends $2.04 a 
day per offender on standard probation supervision, less than half the 
national average of $4.37.

The state's drug court programs spend an average daily cost per participant 
of $6.37 per day.

"I think it's fantastic. We've seen a lot of success in our drug court 
system," Rep. Terry Ingmire, R-Stillwater, said Friday. Drug-addicted 
defendants can avoid prison by completing drug court programs that include 
close supervision and constant drug testing and treatment.

"That's a major step in hopefully getting people's lives back together and 
put them on the straight and narrow," Ingmire said.

Lawmakers beefed up drug court funding although the state is one of the 
nation's top incarcerators and officials have historically shunned 
alternative sentencing programs like drug courts.

Spending by the 2005 Legislature marked the first time lawmakers put more 
money into prison diversion programs like drug courts than into new prison 
beds, the agency said.

"It's pretty encouraging. I hope it's a sign of more things to come," said 
former Sen. Ged Wright of Tulsa, a sentencing commission member. Oklahoma 
has almost 24,000 inmates in state prisons, many of them for drug- and 
alcohol-related offenses.

The additional funding will expand 22 existing drug courts and create 10 
new courts in the state. Oklahoma currently operates 44 drug courts in 39 
counties.

Authorities said expanding the program will divert more than 3,000 drug and 
alcohol defendants from prison in the next year. A total of 4,765 
defendants will be diverted to drug courts in 2006, up from 1,525 last year.

The expansion will also save more than $38 million in incarceration costs 
in one year, officials said. The state prison budget totals $409 million 
and officials are seeking another $31 million to provide additional beds 
during the coming year.

"It's a cost-effective solution," said Toby Taylor of Edmond, who 
represents the Victim's Compensation Board on the commission.

"Locking them up and throwing the key away is not working," Ingmire said. 
"We're hoping we can divert some of the nonviolent offenders away from 
prison and still protect the safety of the public."
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