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![handle is hein.aba/judrc0004 and id is 1 raw text is:
Judges Ridgely, Miller and Russell Answer Questions
During Panel on Drug Courts
by ludge Joel D. Medd
Grand Forks, ND
D Drug Courts work? How do they
3 work? Should they be expanded?
These were among the topics discussed
during a panel program at the Annual
Meeting.
National Conference of State Trial Judges
Chair Judge Leslie Miller, of Tucson, AZ
and NCSTJ Executive Committee Member
Judge Hank duPont Ridgely,
of Dover, DE were members
of the panel along with Judge
Robert Russell of Buffalo, NY,
Barry Mahoney of Denver,
CO and John Feinblatt, the
Director of the Center for
Court inniovatioli of the NY
State's Unified Court System.
The moderator indicated
that Drug Courts were
successful in that more than Pairlists rol]
70, of participants stay in the
program despite the difficult
populations that most programs target.
Drug Courts are cost effective with the
average cost component of between $1,200
and $3,500 while the costs for jailing a
Defendant have been estimated as being at
least $5,000.
The Judges, including Judge Miller,
explained that most judges derived a
tremendous amount of satisfaction from
handling drug court. Judge Miller cited an
instance where a participant turned himself
in stating that lie had used dngs knowing
that it involved a sanction of sone jail time.
She stated that the participant wanted
to continue in the program to get help, citing
the fact that his grandchildren now wanted to
spend time with him, when they didn't want
to before.
Judge Ridgely cited similar instances. He
cited that from his presiding judge point of
to fight: Jadgns RiV!Irl), Miller ani gtttsel.
view Dalg Courts were warranted to timely
dispose of drug cases. Prisons and jails arc
being filled with drug offenders, often based
on mandatory minimum sentences. Drug
courts offer an effective alternative to
expensive incarceration.
Judge Miller's Drug Court in Tucson, AZ
was recently featured on ABRs Nightline with
Ted Koppel, Crime & Punishment, Drug
Court, Waging War on Drugs in
a Totally Different Way. The principles
(conlfinedl on pager 9)
Art
16 Nolional Conference of Special Court Judges
National Conference of Administrative Low Judges 20 lational Conference of State Trial Judges
National Conference of Federal Trial Judges
38 JUDICInL
D IVI SION
29
Digitized from Best Copy Available
Lawoyrs Conference
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