The Verdict Is In- Drug Courts Work!

 

July 9, 2008

The Verdict Is In- Drug Courts Work

 

 

Published July 9, 2008

Dawson News & Advertiser

http://www.dawsonadvertiser.com/news/

Over 500 attendees, from over sixty statewide Drug, DUI and Mental Health Court Teams, will hear the results of new scientific research that proves beyond a reasonable doubt that statewide Drug, DUI, and Mental Health Court Conference, hosted by the Judicial Council of Georgia’s Standing Committee on Drug Courts. The conference, entitled “Foundations for the Future,” will be held at the Wyndham Peachtree Conference Center in Peachtree City, Georgia from June 17-19, 2008.

 

Drug, DUI and Mental Health Courts, also known as Accountability Courts, provide a successful  and cost effective way of dealing with persons with offense related to their drug addiction or mental illness. “These courts have the support of judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officials around the State because they all know that they work, and they work at a fraction of the cost of incarceration,” said Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears. According to the Georgia Department of Corrections, the average cost of incarceration per offender/per year at close security prisons is $14,476, while the average cost incarceration per offender at close security prisons is $18,332. The cost of Accountability Courts per offender/ per year is $4,935;  proof that these courts save taxpayer dollars.

 

“The Statewide Drug, DUI and Mental Health Court Conference provides an opportunity for professionals, officials and others in the community to come together and share lessons learned in everyday practice,” said Cobb County Superior Court Judge George Kreeger, who also serves as Chair of the Judicial Council Standing Committee on Drug Courts. Those attending will include drug court teams of judges, prosecutors, public defenders, treatment providers, probation and law enforcement officers and other dedicated criminal justice practitioners.

 

Conference highlights include:

 

Tuesday, June 17 at 9:45 a.m. — Drug Court Graduate Panel. A panel of drug court graduates will speak about their experience, what drug court has done for them and their families, and what drug court means to the State of Georgia on Tuesday, June 17.

 

Thursday, June 19 at 8:30 a.m. — Dr. Doug Marlowe, J.D., Ph.D., is a Senior Scientific Consultant, Chief of Science, Policy & Law for the National Association of Drug Court Profession; and Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dr. Marlowe will release new scientific research on the effectiveness of drug courts.

 

Participation in an Accountability Court program includes at a minimum, substances abuse or  mental health treatment, judicial supervision every two weeks, random drug screens, home visits  and services ranging as long as two years. Team members are quick to emphasize that the Drug, DUI and Mental Health Court programs are not a “soft on crime” alternative to incarceration.

 

The Judicial Council of Georgia has appointed the Standing Committee on Drug Courts to encourage and support the implementation of drug courts in all 49 Georgia Judicial Circuits.  These courts have experienced phenomenal success and tremendous growth by reducing substance abuse, crime and recidivism.

 

For more information about the conference, please visit www.georgiacourts.org and click on “2008 Drug, DUI and Mental Health Conference.”