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6/1/2005
A new report from the
National Drug Court
Institute (NDCI) finds that the number of drug courts in the U.S.
has increased 37 percent over the past year, and has doubled since 2001,
the
Providence Journal reported May 31.
The report, "Painting the Current Picture: A National Report Card on
Drug Courts and Other Problem-Solving Court Programs in the United
States," found 1,621 drug courts operating at the end of 2004, up from
847 in 2001.
"Drug courts are literally becoming a way of doing business in the
courts," said NDCI director C. West Huddleston III. "Solving problems is
becoming a more accepted idea, as opposed to just disposing of cases and
either putting people in prison or putting them on probation with few
treatment alternatives."
Huddleston said that studies show that drug courts produce an average of
$6,779 in avoided costs to the justice system and victims by cutting
down on the prison population and reducing recidivism. He added that the
power of drug courts rests with the combination of addiction treatment
and judicial oversight. "Collaboration without the power of a judge is
not as effective," he said.
An additional 215 communities are currently planning drug courts, and
another 263 have applied to the federal government for startup funding.
Source:
Join Together
Online.
Join Together is a project of the
Boston University School of Public Health |
