Prisoner release program planned

Wednesday, March 31, 1999 | 10:27 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A pilot program being developed by Gov. Kenny Guinn would free 100 prison inmates six months early on condition that they participate in Drug Court for one year.

Drug Court is part of the Clark County District Court and is run by Judge Jack Lehman.

"As far as I know, this (pilot program) will be the first one in the country," said Lehman, who started Drug Court in Southern Nevada six years ago. "Jail and prison are not a way to get off drugs. Treatment is."

Guinn said Tuesday he has been talking with prison and parole authorities to see if he can launch the program without legislative approval. If not, he said, he will ask lawmakers to approve the pilot project.

Only those prison inmates serving time for nonviolent offenses would be eligible for the program. Their offense would not necessarily have to be specifically related to drugs, as casino cheaters, burglars, credit-card thieves, embezzlers and other criminals often commit their offenses to feed a drug habit.

Guinn said the state would pay Drug Court $1,500 per inmate for the first month and then $2,000 a month up to a total of $10,000. Lehman estimates the annual cost of running Drug Court is now $1,500 per inmate but the extra money, he said, would permit expansion of the program.

Although the pilot program has a maximum cost of $1 million, the state would see savings in the prison system as the 100 inmates are released. The cost of housing an inmate runs anywhere from $16,000 to $25,000 a year.

Statistics show that only 14 percent of those who complete Drug Court in Las Vegas get into further trouble, Lehman said. The judge contrasted that with conventional prison releases in Nevada, whose statistics show that 80 percent of those inmates return to prison.

Many who attend Drug Court now are first-time offenders. Although those coming out of prison could prove tougher to treat, Lehman says, "If their basic problem is drugs, we would like a crack at them."

Even if the failure rate of the convicts doubles to 28 percent, that's better than what the prison system is achieving, the judge said.

Drug Court is intense. For the first two weeks, an individual must undergo six acupuncture treatments a week to reduce stress and get over the craving for drugs, the judge said. There are two counseling sessions a week and three urine samples a week are taken to make sure the individual is drug free.

The following eight weeks, a person must supply three urine samples a week, attend three counseling sessions a week and acupuncture is voluntary. The third phase is counseling and urine samples twice a week for 16 weeks.

The final phase is six months, and calls for one counseling session and one urine sample a week. And there's an emphasis on assisting the individual to get a job or to further his or her education.

Each person must report to court once a month for Lehman to review their progress. The judge says he "raises hell" and yells at those who don't follow the program or those who produce a "dirty urine."

They then must take additional counseling and testing. And the judge has the ultimate threat to toss them in jail for four days.

The Guinn-Lehman plan calls for those released early to be supervised by the state Parole and Probation Division. Lehman said that oversight is minimal because of the lack of staff. And contact may be only once a month, compared to the weekly schedule of Drug Court.

There are presently 1,200 people in the Drug Court program in Las Vegas. And 1,100 have graduated. Those first-time drug offenders who graduate have their arrest records sealed. Graduates with second offenses may have their charge lowered from a felony to a misdemeanor.

The last two sessions of the Legislature have allocated $500,000 to Clark County for the Drug Court. And the federal government provided a two-year grant of $780,000 to expand the numbers from 800 to 1,200 individuals. But the federal money has dried up.