Most crime involves drug and alcohol abuse.  Having been in law enforcement for over 20 years, I see the personal side of the equation.  I deal with addicts – suffering from a disease that takes over their lives.  I deal with families – loved ones who feel frustrated watching their children destruct.  I see court, prison and probation systems – pushing cases through to keep up with the constant influx of new addicts.  That is why I support the concept of Drug Courts in Bucks County.

 

I meet families who have no idea how to help one of their own.  Some even want their loved one arrested thinking that they will be forced to be clean in jail where they would remain for months and then on a lengthy supervised parole.  This does not happen.  Inmates can get drugs in most prisons if they want them.  Defendants get released when bails are lowered and wait months to be sentenced. While on bail, the addict returns to his life of drug abuse racking up more crimes.  The cycle continues, causing the taxpayer to pay the burden by funding more prison and detention facilities. To combat this, many jurisdictions have already implemented Drug Courts.

 

Drug Courts have been called the most significant criminal justice initiative in the last century.  A Drug Court is a special court given the responsibility to handle cases involving substance-abusing offenders through comprehensive supervision, drug testing, treatment services and immediate sanctions and incentives.  Drug Court programs bring the full weight of all interveners (judges, prosecutors, defense counsel, substance abuse treatment specialists, probation officers, law enforcement and correctional personnel, educational and vocational experts, community leaders and others) to bear, forcing the offender to deal with their substance abuse problem.  Drug Courts ensure consistency in judicial decision-making and enhance the coordination of agencies and resources, increasing the cost effectiveness of programs.

 

Since 1989, over 1200 Drug Courts have been established in the US, including 11 in Pennsylvania. Studies show that Drug Courts reduce crime, decrease criminal recidivism, increase retention in treatment programs, provide affordable treatment and save taxpayer money.

Defendants who successfully complete a Drug Court program have a much lower percentage of re-arrest than those who did not go through the program, a 20 to 30% reduction in criminal recidivism.  A Drug Court’s coercive power is the key to admitting drug-involved offenders into treatment quickly, for a period of time that is long enough to make a difference.  Nationally, Drug Courts report that between 67 and 71% of defendants stay in treatment.  Over two thirds of participants who begin treatment through a drug court complete it a year or more later, which is a six-fold increase in treatment retention over most previous efforts. 

Drug Courts speed up the time interval between arrest and entry into treatment and provide the necessary structure to see that the offender stays in treatment long enough for treatment benefits to be realized.  This makes the treatment much more effective.  This should not be construed as being lenient on crime or making deals with addicts.  Most people get very short jail sentences or probation for non-violent crimes under our current system.  Many defendants out on parole or probation do not go to jail when they test positive for drugs.  Drug Courts are actually harder on addicts by making them confront their problem much earlier in the process and make them stay in treatment much longer than what normally gets imposed.  If they do not comply with Drug Court sanctions, they go to jail. 

Drug Courts actually save taxpayer money.  A taxpayer’s return on the upfront investment in drug courts is substantial.  Incarceration of drug using offenders costs between $20,000 and $50,000 per person annually. In contrast, a comprehensive Drug Court system typically costs between $2,500 and $4,000 annually for each offender.  Defendants who complete a Drug Court program are much more inclined to actually pay their fines and costs.  For every $1 spent on Drug Courts, about $7 to $10 in tax savings is realized compared to traditional systems.  In addition, if crime is reduced, the cost to future victims is also reduced.  There are grants available for jurisdictions to start Drug Courts as the District Attorney’s Office in Lackawanna County, PA recently received a $499,931.00 grant to implement a Drug Court. 

Bucks County has an increasing drug problem.  Our current criminal justice system policy is having little effect on substance abuse, the major contributing factor to crime and other social problems.  Why shouldn’t we look at Drug Courts when they reduce crime, provide affordable treatment, increase retention in treatment, save taxpayer money and actually help people?  It seems like an easy decision to me.

 

Spending More Taxpayers Money

 

I read with great surprise the article in the April 8^th edition of the Courier Times that Bucks County DA Diane Gibbons is in favor of spending more taxpayers’ money on a new prison. It surprised me because your paper wrote an excellent article on the use of Drug Courts (3/13/05) and your editorial of March 20, 2005 said it was an “Idea worth Pursuing”.

 

Miss Gibbons has cited on several occasions that “drugs and alcohol cause 90 percent of the crimes in Bucks”, but she is unwilling to even entertain the idea of Drug Courts and would rather spend more taxpayers money to build a new prison for primarily this type of offender!

 

Drug Courts would limit the amount of prisoners which will need to be housed in a “new” taxpayer funded county prison and therefore would actually save the taxpayers money. Perhaps it is time that Miss Gibbons actually put her money where her mouth is and establish a Drug Courts Task Force to look into the possibility of Drugs Courts in Bucks County. The Task Force should be made up of judges, defense counsel, substance abuse treatment specialists, probation officers, law enforcement, correctional personnel, educational and vocational experts and community leaders who believe that the housing of prisoners who have drug and or alcohol dependencies is not addressing the problem for our society. With Federal grants available for establishing drug courts, the cost to taxpayers would be minimal in comparison to spending millions of dollars on a new prison!

 

As a lifelong resident of Bucks County and one who is tired of reading daily of crimes committed by people who are addicted to drugs and or alcohol, I would be happy to assist Miss Gibbons with such a Task Force, but the first step must be hers as the Chief Law Enforcement Officer in Bucks County. I am certain that the District Attorney of Lackawanna County would be more than willing to assist Bucks County in this endeavor. Let’s get it moving!