MSNBC: "Drug courts get second look"

Last week, MSNBC reported on the growing bipartisan support for drug courts and other "problem-solving" criminal justice alternatives. "With criminal justice reform now an issue for both the Republican and Democratic side of the 2016 presidential campaign, drug courts are increasingly being viewed as a viable alternative to mandatory jail time."

Judge Jo Ann Ferdinand in her courtroom at the Brooklyn Treatment Court, in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Photo by John Trotter for MSNBC

As reported, President Barack Obama has expressed his support for collaborative courts: "We should invest in alternatives to prison like drug courts and treatment and probation programs which ultimately can save taxpayers thousands of dollars each year.”

The article states that, according to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, "about 75% of those who complete drug court are not rearrested while as many of 70% of people released from traditional prison do reoffend. Over a million people have gone through drug court since 1989 and an estimated 150,000 people are participating in drug court at any given time. NADCP also estimates that for every dollar invested in drug courts, taxpayers save as much as $3.36 in additional criminal justice costs."

Click here to read the full article. 

Michigan Drug Court featured on NBC’s Dateline

Last Sunday, NBC’s Dateline featured Michigan’s Mercer County Drug Courts. The piece followed three individuals whose addictions brought them in front of Adult and Juvenile Drug Court Judge Mary Chrzanowski, known as "Scary Mary."

In an email statement, the National Association of Drug Court Professionals said of the program:

"While the story is a profile of just one of over 2,800 Drug Courts in the United States, it underscores two important issues critical to the public’s understanding of all Drug Courts. First, the individuals profiled in the piece, no matter their original charge, were given the option of Drug Court because they were assessed and shown to meet the clinical criteria for drug-dependence. Once they were admitted, the Drug Court team worked tirelessly to keep them in the program and deal with relapse and other issues that arose along the way."

Click here to view clips of the Dateline episode.

NADCP News: "Administration Redoubles Its Efforts to Expand Drug Courts"

"Drug court is what real drug policy reform looks like." 

-- ONDCP Director Gil Kerlikowske

Administration Redoubles Its Efforts to Expand Drug Courts
and Other Evidence-based Sentencing Options

ONDCP Director Kerlikowske Announces Award During National Press Club Speech

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director, Gil Kerlikowske announced today that NADCP will receive a $1.4 million grant to expand the reach of Drug Courts and the groundbreaking justice reform model, the Annuals of Research and Knowledge on Successful Offender Management (ARK). Based on the Risk and Need Responsively theory, the ARK was designed as a reform framework to assess offenders and sort them into a systemic continuum of evidence-based sentencing options. Today’s announcement represents a groundbreaking step towards significant justice reform across all points of the adult justice system.

The National Press Club speech was attended by justice leaders and policy experts from across the criminal justice spectrum. Representing NADCP was an incredible group of treatment court pioneers covering over twenty years of alternative sentencing innovation and leadership. Joining NADCP CEO West Huddleston were Board Chair Judge Robert Rancourt, Board Member Judge Pamela Gray, and former Board Chairs Judge Lou Presenza, Judge John Schwartz, and Judge Chuck Simmons.

“Drug Court is what real drug policy reform looks like,” said ONDCP Director Gil Kerlikowske. “By giving non-violent drug offenders a chance to reclaim their lives through treatment, we can finally begin to break the cycle of drug use, crime, and incarceration in America. Every dollar we spend on supporting this type of drug policy reform pays dividends in safer and healthier communities later on.”

“Today, our vision of a solution-oriented justice system is significantly closer to becoming reality,” said NADCP CEO West Huddleston. “This funding will allow NADCP and its partners to put the ARK into practice. We remain grateful that through this funding, Congress and the Administration continues its commitment to expand the reach of Drug Courts and ensure that they remain a cornerstone of much needed criminal justice reform.”

“We look forward to taking the ARK to scale,” said NADCP Board Chair Judge Judge Robert Rancourt. “In doing so, NADCP commits to collaborating with leaders from the law enforcement, corrections, probation, prosecution, defense, substance abuse and mental health communities. Working together, we will build a comprehensive system that will forever change the delivery of effective justice in this country.”

To learn more about the ARK, watch NADCP Chief of Science, Law and Policy and ARK co-creator Dr. Doug Marlowe present during the NADCP 18th Annual Training Conference.

ONDCP Director Gil Kerlikowske praises Drug Courts during his remarks, NADCP Board Chair Judge Robert Rancourt flanked by former Board Chairs Judge Chuck Simmons (l) and Judge John Schwartz (r), former NADCP Board Chair Judge Lou Presenza and  Board Member Judge Pamela Gray talks with Director Kerlikowske

NADCP News: "Drug Courts Front and Center as Criminal Justice Reform Sweeps Nation"

On February 6, 2013 South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard (R) signed into law sweeping legislation aimed at cutting prison costs by diverting more people to Drug Court and other interventions. At the bill signing Governor Daugaard praised the state’s Drug Courts and the future of criminal justice in South Dakota. "We are going to change the administration of criminal justice in this state for the good of all its citizens," he said.

Last week, West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin (D) spoke to legislators about the critical need to reduce corrections costs and ease the overcrowding of prisons. His prescription includes shutting down ‘pill mills’ and investing in treatment programs such as Drug Court. A few days later, North Carolina’s Governor Pat McCrory (R) emphatically called on state legislators to restore funding for Drug Courts: “For the sake of our families, please send me legislation, which will re-establish our drug treatment courts and also increase penalties for those who set up meth labs in our communities.”

Throughout January and February, governors have been giving their annual State of the State addresses to their legislatures, mapping out their policy goals and vision for the future. Governors across the country are calling for more Drug Courts and Veterans Treatment Courts, improved access to mental health treatment, support for alternatives to incarceration, and solutions to prescription drug abuse.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard signed SB70, the South Dakota Public Safety Improvement Act,
on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013, at the State Capitol

NADCP closely monitors State of the State speeches and has assembled an online guide to help you track what your governor is saying about criminal justice reform. We will continue to keep you up to date on important statewide initiatives.

Drug Court graduation featured in The Chronicle

The San Francisco Drug Court's most recent graduation was featured in The Chronicle on Sunday, November 11, 2012. The October 22 ceremony honored 21 Drug Court participants who participated in substance abuse treatment, came to court regularly, and turned their lives around. The following is a summary of their successes:

• 86% of graduates used drugs daily or multiple times per week when they entered Drug Court. Now, all are 100% drug free.
• 48% of graduates had no income when they entered Drug Court. Now 52% percent are employed and 100% have legal sources of income.
• 43% of graduates are enrolled in educational programs or vocational training, and another 29% are planning to enroll.
• 48% of graduates have reconnected or reunified with their children.

 

Judge Angela Bradstreet, left, and Demarris Evans, right, from the public defender's office, cheer at the end of the drug court graduation in San Francisco, Calif., Monday, October 22, 2012. Photo: Sarah Rice, Special To The Chronicle / SF

Drug court: Addicts kick habit, charges
By Marisa Lagos

Elley Fore could have been serving a life sentence in state prison. But instead, on a recent weekday, he found himself inside a packed San Francisco courtroom with tears in his eyes as he received a standing ovation.

He could see the police chief and public defender in the crowd, several deputy district attorneys and Superior Court Judge Angela Bradstreet. But it was the sight of his children, grandchild, fiancee and ex-wife that got to him.

For three decades Fore was addicted to crack cocaine, and he did a lot of things he wasn't proud of. But in 2010, police picked him up on a charge, drug possession with intent to sell, that was one too many under California's "three strikes and you're out" law. If convicted, he could be looking at 25 years to life behind bars.

Instead, the San Francisco district attorney's office threw him a lifesaver: drug court. The idea behind the 17-year-old program, for Fore and others like him, is to get clean in exchange for having charges dropped.

"I was not ready to stop using drugs," Fore, 50, admits now. "I wanted a 'Get out of jail free' card."
Fore underwent two months of treatment at the drug court's center, then completed a three-month residential program at one of dozens of private treatment centers that partner with the city. He relapsed but returned for help. It took him two years, instead of the typical one year, to complete the program, but he says it worked: He's been off drugs since Jan. 6, and the city was drug-testing him to be sure.

Click here to read the full article.

Upcoming Collaborative Court Graduations

Please join us in celebrating the successes of our collaborative court clients.

Behavioral Health Court Graduation Ceremony

Thursday, June 2 at 2:30 p.m.
Hall of Justice- 850 Bryant Street, Dept 15

Drug Court Graduation Ceremony

Monday, June 27 at 2:00 p.m.

Civic Center Courthouse- 400 McAllister Street, Room 509

Prop 36/OTP Graduation Ceremony

Thursday, June 30 at 10:00 a.m.

Civic Center Courthouse- 400 McAllister Street, Room 509

NADCP releases statement regarding This American Life's "Very Tough Love"

The Board of Directors at the National Association for Drug Court Professionals released a statement today regarding the March 25 NPR segment of This American Life titled “Very Tough Love”. The story chronicles disturbing events to have occurred in a Drug Court in Georgia. Read the statement here.

Drug Court Graduation Ceremony

Please join us in celebrating the successes of San Francisco's Drug Court graduates.

Monday, April 11, 2011

2:00 p.m.

Civic Center Court House

400 McAllister Street, Room 509

We look forward to seeing you there!

Drug Courts featured in The Economist

More and more, Drug Courts are being nationally recognized as the best way to reduce recidivism and continue to receive great support from the political spectrum. In an article in the Feb 24 edition of The Economist, this is further examined in the state of Georgia at the Hall County Drug Court.

Stay out of jail clean
The best way to keep drug offenders from returning to prison

Associate Press features San Francisco Collaborative Courts

San Francisco’s Behavioral Health Court, Community Justice Center and Drug Court were featured in The Associated Press December 26, 2010. It was part of a series by AP examining the U.S. struggles in its “war on drugs.” The article’s focus was on Portugal’s drug policy and how they changed the law so that users are sent to counseling and treatment instead of criminal courts and prison. It’s important to note that drugs are still illegal in Portugal. The switch from seeing drugs as a criminal issue and instead viewing it as both a public health and a public safety concern is what is proving their policies to be successful. As the article continues, it references San Francisco’s Collaborative Courts as an approach similar to Portugal’s that is working to achieve the same goals in the U.S. – to increase public safety and place addicts in treatment instead of behind bars. We encourage you to read the full article.

Portugal's drug policy pays off; US eyes lessons
By Barry Hatton and Martha Mendoza, Associated Press
December 26, 2010

AP also ran a video story that highlights our programs – Check it out!

NADCP on Facebook

The National Association for Drug Court Professionals has recently launched it's own Facebook page in an effort to spread the word about Drug Courts and their remarkable successes.

Check it out- All Rise: Drug Court is in Session

A solution to the sell of prescription drugs in the Tenderloin

Last week an article (see link below) in the Bay Area edition of the New York Times mentioned new strategies aimed at dealing with the sell of prescription drugs in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. City agencies would like to begin to route folks through Drug Court and the Community Justice Center which will be able to address the underlying problems of why individuals are selling - most of whom are the sick and elderly.

In Tough Times, Grandpa Pushes Pills:

Police see more gray-haired drug dealers selling prescription meds, like Oxycontin

Written by Shoshana Walter

San Francisco Drug Court 2009 Annual Report

San Francisco Collaborative Courts has completed the 2009 Drug Court Annual Report.

This report provides detailed information on participant volume, retention and graduation rates, and recidivism.

"Tackling America's Drug Addiction" - NPR Interview

Click here to listen to the June 18, 2010 NPR interview with Joseph Califano, founder and chairman of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, about national efforts to address drug use and addiction.

International study on the effectiveness of Drug Courts on crime and incarceration costs

Researchers at the American University conducted a study of Drug Courts in 12 countries to learn more about their effects on crime and prison costs. The report titled "Establishing Drug Treatment Courts: Strategies, Experiences, and Preliminary Outcomes," concluded that these programs do reduce recidivism and lower incarceration costs as well as provide much needed addiction and other supportive services to offenders, including health care, housing, job and family support.

Check out the Full Report.

Using the SF crime lab debacle as an opportunity to help addicts

There has been much discussion about what will come out of the failures experienced at the SF crime lab. On April 26, the San Francisco Chronicle ran the following Op Ed written by Sunny Schwartz, Program Administrator for SF’s Sheriff’s Department. In the article, she urges the use of our existing Drug Court to get people into treatment. This approach not only helps people and saves lives, but it also saves money.

Click here to read Ms. Schwartz’s piece.

SF Collaborative Courts Volunteer Day Was A Success!

A large group of Drug Court and Behavioral Health Court clients attended a volunteer day put on by the Court and the Golden Gate Parks Conservancy. Our group help to plant over 250 plants and helped pull out 10 large bags full of weeds. Everyone who participated worked so hard and were extremely excited about their accomplishments.

Here are a few photos from our day...

A BIG Thank you to all the Volunteers!

Drug Court Leaders Set the Record Straight

The National Association of Drug Court Professionals and leaders in the Drug Court community have vigorously responded to recent press surrounding criticisms levied by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Over the last month, NADCP and our members have been involved with the publication of a series of pieces that set the record straight and confirm to the public that Drug Courts are the most researched, cost effective and successful strategy in the nation for dealing with addicted offenders.

Click here to read these publications.

Courting Drug-Policy Reform

By Dina Fine Maron - Newsweek Web Exclusive

Excerpt:
Before January, Judge Wendell P. Gardner Jr. had never been hugged by a defendant. But he had to get into a different mindset when he took over as the District of Columbia's adult-drug-court judge at the beginning of the year. Now, each month when nonviolent drug offenders "graduate" from the five to 18 months of judge-supervised treatment, he steps off the bench and interacts with the users he helps keep out of jail. For the George H.W. Bush appointee, drug courts are not about politics, they are about treatment and results. "You get a sense you're really helping someone," he says.

Full article here:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/216866

Drug Courts featured in The Huffington Post

On July 21, The Huffington Post ran an article about the success of Drug Courts across the country. See link below for full article.

"All Rise!": A Better Way of Justice is now in Session