County Awarded Drug Court Grant Experimental Program Will Offer Choice Of Jail Or Treatment

Spokane County’s experimental drug-diversion program received a jump-start Thursday when officials learned hard-to-get federal money is coming.

The $189,614 grant is enough to turn drug court from a 2-1/2-year-old idea into reality - and keep it running for about a year.

“I’m just tickled to death about this. It’s been a long, hard road,” said Superior Court Judge James Murphy.

Sixty addicts facing drug charges should receive a combination of outpatient treatment and intensive monitoring next year, Murphy said.

The underlying hope: Slow the endless cycle of addiction and crime that is clogging court dockets and jail cells.

“We want to make it work,” said District Court Judge Richard White, who heads a broad-based criminal justice committee backing the pilot program.

In drug court, addicts are given a choice to either complete a year of treatment or go to jail or prison.

Only persons caught with small amounts of felony drugs will be eligible. Excluded are drug dealers and anyone with a record of violence.

Those who opt into the court admit their guilt and waive their right to a jury trial.

If they successfully complete the program, charges are dropped. If they fail, they go directly to jail.

In addition to outpatient treatment, which includes optional acupuncture, drug defendants undergo random urine checks.

Proponents expect half of drug court graduates to kick addictions and stay crime-free.

“It’d be foolish to assume we’re going to cure everyone, but at least we’d be making inroads,” said Murphy, who will preside over the program when it begins in early January.

Prosecutor Jim Sweetser is on record supporting the experiment, but he wants individual successes and failures documented in order to gauge the overall effectiveness of diversion and treatment.

The federal money coming to Spokane primarily pays for treatment. The remainder is earmarked for computer equipment and software, and the salaries of an assistant public defender and deputy prosecutor.

The cost per offender per year for drug treatment is estimated at $1,500. A year in prison costs $25,000 per inmate.

Spokane was selected out of 100 communities across the country vying for the seed money. It was awarded by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance, a branch of the Justice Department.

The good news comes as existing drug courts in King and Pierce counties struggle to survive in the wake of federal budget cuts.

, DataTimes