Drug courts give addicts a second chance

Drug courts offer treatment and intense supervision as an alternative to criminal prosecution for addicts. The programs are proving effective, but the 2,100 drug courts nationwide are still able to provide services to only a minority of offenders. The program started in Miami in 1989 and runs in all 50 states.

Full story by Erik Eckholm at The New York Times:

In Seattle, as in drug courts across the country, the stern face of criminal justice is being redrawn, and emotions are often on the surface. Experts say drug courts have been the country’s fastest-spreading innovation in criminal justice, giving arrested addicts a chance to avoid prison by agreeing to stringent oversight and addiction treatment. Recent studies show drug courts are one of the few initiatives that reduce recidivism — on average by 8 percent to 10 percent nationally and as high as 26 percent in New York State — and save taxpayer money...