Drug Court may be national model

Bill Gang

Thursday, June 3, 1999 | 10:53 a.m.

Nevada's newest weapon against crime -- a Drug Court for newly released prison inmates -- will be the star attraction this week at the National Drug Court Conference in Miami.

District Judge Jack Lehman left Wednesday after a last minute request to explain the program -- the first in the nation -- to 2,500 representatives of the nation's 400 other drug courts, just two days after the Nevada Legislature approved and funded the program.

Lehman spearheaded the creation of a Drug Court in Nevada more than six years ago and smiles when he talks about how only 14 percent of those who complete the program commit additional crimes.

By contrast 80 percent of prison inmates convicted of nonviolent drug-related crimes become repeat offenders when they are released into the community with little supervision.

Before he left, Lehman said the purpose of the program is to see if the success of Drug Court will translate to ex-cons and keep them from returning to the expensive confines of prison.

In exchange for participating in the new program and addressing their drug problems, inmates can be released from prison up to two years early.

"We want to see if we can accomplish with early-release parolees what we have done with drug addicts in the community," Lehman said. "I find this a real challenge."

Initially there will be only 100 carefully chosen participants in Clark County and 50 in Washoe County. There will be no violent or sex-crime offenders and no one who has been convicted of more than two felonies that are drug related, Lehman said.

He emphasized that the convicts need not be in prison for drug charges to qualify but only for a drug-related charge, such as a conviction for theft to support a drug habit.

Once accepted into the program through a screening committee, participants will be restricted to house arrest and required to undergo intensive counseling.

Weekly appearances will be required before the Drug Court judge, who can send them back behind bars if they don't cooperate.

To fund the program, the state is paying $4,250 per person.

By contrast, prisoners in work camps cost taxpayers about $7,000 a year, and inmates in regular prisons cost between $16,000 and $22,000 annually.

That translates into an initial savings to taxpayers of between $2,750 and $17,750 per participant, or between $412,000 and $2.66 million for the 150 who will be in the program.

In addition, Lehman noted, there will be savings for police, prosecutors and courts for each participant who does not commit new crimes.

The judge said the bonus is that the public will be safer since Justice Department statistics indicate that drug addicts commit about 100 crimes annually to support their habits.

"We will save in crimes that don't happen," he said.

"I think we are at the forefront of something that could be important nationally," Lehman said, noting that Nevada's entire congressional delegation has supported the program.

While Lehman testified at the Legislature in support of the program, he said it was Gov. Kenny Guinn who pushed through the bill.

In the final vote on Sunday, Senate Bill 184 cleared the Assembly with a 41-0 vote.