Pubdate: Sun, 21 Jun 2009 Source: Northwest Herald (IL) Copyright: 2009 Northwest Herald Newspapers Contact: http://www.nwherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2762 TIME'S COME FOR DRUG COURT The concept of bringing a drug court to McHenry County has been researched for 10 years, and it appears it finally will become a reality by January. McHenry County is the only collar county that has not gotten on board with a drug court program. The main holdup has been that judicial leaders were hoping they’d get state funding for a new judge, but that didn’t materialize, Drug courts first were established in 1989 in Miami in the hopes of diverting nonviolent offenders into drug treatment programs and existing agencies as opposed to putting them in jail or prison cells. The idea behind them is to more aggressively focus on addiction with frequent court appearances and, usually, weekly drug testing. Just because the program isn’t up and running in McHenry County doesn’t mean the concepts are foreign here. Criminal defendants with significant drug or alcohol abuse issues often are sentenced to intensive probation, a situation judges often describe as “having one foot in the prison door.” But setting aside a drug court program should help isolate the issue of addiction and foster a more effective manner of dealing with defendants who abuse drugs. Drugs and crime often go together, and if you can eliminate the first problem, the second part of that equation often doesn’t materialize. A typical felony or misdemeanor judge has many matters to deal with, from property crimes to violent crimes. Probation officers also have a large variety of offenders to monitor. Under the same principle as the recently established mental health court program, isolating the problem for a cohesive group should only be beneficial. Drug court does not coddle defendants. It is true that defendants can have their cases dismissed if they successfully complete the program. There already are similar kinds of probation offered that come with the same result. But the program is rigorous, and those who can’t make it usually find themselves back in a standard criminal courtroom facing prison time. Conversely, government statistics say recidivism rates among offenders who graduate from a drug court program are as low as 4 percent. Drug abuse is a scourge that destroys individuals, families and, sometimes, entire neighborhoods. Simply locking up users is not the best approach to dealing with such a scourge. Besides that, it’s expensive. Jail cells and prison cells cost taxpayers anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000 a year for each inmate. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr