Drug Courts Help Lower Relapse as a Good Alternative to Jail

There is an interesting news article about drug court in the Desert Dispatch. The article talks about a San Bernardino County court program which makes healthy living and employment mandatory for program participants who are recovering from drug addiction. This particular drug court program encourages healthy activities such as sports for recovering addicts through mandatory monthly activities. In order to be part of the program, participants must go to mandatory court hearings, pass drug tests, participate in drug treatment and work toward getting a job. In Barstow alone, there are 62 individuals participating in the drug court program.

Drug courts all over Southern California are becoming an extremely popular alternative to jail for those convicted of relatively minor drug crimes, such as possession of drugs and being under the influence of drugs. A study in 2005 in Barstow, California showed that recidivism rates were remarkably lower for those who participated in a drug court.

The study found fewer drug court graduates were rearrested. The statistics for those rearrested after completing the program were 17 percent of drug court grads and 29 percent of drug court participants. This study used information from a number of California counties including Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and other counties.

If you have been convicted of a drug crime, participating in drug court may be an appropriate alternative to jail. In most cases, those charged or convicted with drug crimes will benefit more from such programs instead of being locked up. Such beneficial programs free up our jails and prisons and proactively approach a social problem instead of taking an extreme approach of incarceration. The Southern California drug crime defense attorneys at Sitkoff & Hanrahan have secured alternative sentencing for numerous clients accused of drug crimes. Our goal is to keep you out of jail and get you the help you need. Call us today at 866-430-8383 for a free consultation.

Source report: http://www.desertdispatch.com/news/keeps-6652-addicts-recovering.html