Opinion: Why we need more drug courts

As our country’s fiscal crisis forces budget cuts across the board, we are witnessing a renewed interest in criminal justice reform and taking a closer look at the $70 billion spent annually on America’s correctional system. State and national leaders are calling for an end to America’s costly overreliance on incarceration. Calls for reform intensified recently with the Supreme Court’s ruling on the removal of thousands of inmates from California prisons and with last month’s 40th anniversary of the War on Drugs’s beginning. 

While there are no quick fixes, there are proven programs that we must expand during this reform. One highly successful program is the drug court — a solution that saves money, cuts crime and serves military veterans. There now are more than 2,500 drug courts in the United States, including 78 veterans-treatment courts. Here are four reasons why these courts must be at the center of any criminal justice reform process. 

{mosads}First, drug courts are an extremely effective strategy in reducing recidivism — especially among drug-addicted, nonviolent offenders with long criminal histories. By supervising participants and keeping them in treatment long enough for them to transform into productive members of their community, drug courts reduce the use of jails and prisons, improve employment and family functioning and save money by reducing crime, healthcare use and victim compensation. A study of California drug courts found that for every dollar invested, up to $16 is saved as a result of reduced recidivism. The courts, furthermore, reunite broken families, intervene with juveniles in the early stages of addiction and crime and stop repeat drunken drivers.

Second, the data on drug courts no longer are up for debate. The rapid growth of the programs over the last two decades has inspired researchers to pay attention. More research has been published on the drug courts than on virtually all other criminal justice programs combined. The facts are known: Drug courts reduce crime by up to 50 percent and have been found to save up to $13,000 for every individual they serve. Moreover, 75 percent of those who complete drug courts never are arrested again — an impressive record for the courts.

Third, drug courts are serving the growing number of military veterans who face charges stemming from substance abuse and mental-health issues. By connecting our veterans to the benefits and treatment they earned through military service, drug courts and veterans-treatment courts ensure that veterans do not fall through the cracks when they become involved with our criminal justice system. They also provide a critical stopgap to prevent future homelessness among veterans. 

Fourth, drug courts are successfully rolling out across the country. In California, drug courts are courageously combating the scourge of methamphetamine and prescription drug abuse. This success is being replicated across the country, from rural areas to our largest cities. Drug courts now number more than 2,400 and are located in every U.S. state. They represent truly nonpartisan drug policy. 

Drug courts focus on high-value offenders, those with the highest need for treatment and wraparound services, and those with the highest risk of failing out of those services without support. These are individuals who drain the system of resources and perpetuate generational crime and substance abuse. Drug courts serve more than 120,000 such individuals every year, roughly 10 percent of the eligible offender population. The Department of Justice recently identified 1.2 million individuals who would be eligible for a drug court but are unable to gain access because one is not available. This is precisely why we need more drug courts, not fewer. 

As Congress cuts spending and reduces the deficit, it is critical that we do so judiciously. We must not make cuts to programs that will cost us more in the long run, at the expense of our public safety. There is no greater example of such a program than drug courts. 

If this nation is serious about lowering criminal justice costs, then we should not cut a program that returns up to $27 for every $1 invested and that has the support of both Democrats and Republicans. We should hold the line on drug court funding so they can continue to treat our most seriously addicted offenders each year and meet the growing needs of our veterans in the criminal justice system.

Honda is a longtime member of the House Appropriations subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, which oversees funding levels for criminal justice programs in the United States. Actor Martin Sheen has spoken at numerous National Association of Drug Court Professionals annual training conferences.