Arecent grant to the Washington/ Madison County Drug Court should make a difference in the continued success of a program that offers an alternative to incarceration for nonviolent, first-time drug offenders.
The court was one of 12 out of 2,917 drug courts nationwide to receive funding. A three-year, $975,000 grant announced last week will help to pay for treatment, education and job programs for local drug court participants and to track their progress to determine what works.
The grant is coming from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, a federal program intended to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness.
U.S. Sens. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and John Boozman, R-Ark., and U.S. Rep.
Steve Womack, R-Rogers, all turned out for the announcement, commending this investment of federal dollars in diversion and treatment. Every dollar spentthat way, Pryor said, saves $3.36 in criminal justice costs.
Drug court changes lives, enabling abusers to get the kind of treatment they need to get oft drugs, find jobs and be productive members of the community.
Although drug court had to prove its worth in the early years, it is widely supported now in this judicial district and elsewhere in Arkansas, where several dozen drug courts are in operation.
It is a particular credit to the Washington/Madison County Drug Court that it stands out among other programs in the country and won this grant. The court now serves more than 150 clients a year and thetotal participants since its inception in 1999 is around 10 times that number. Most notably, the program boasts a successful graduation rate of better than 86 percent.
The local drug court has had only two judges - former Circuit Judge Mary Ann Gunn and current Circuit Judge Chadd Mason.
Mason was named to complete Gunn’s term when she left the post to pursue a related television program.
Come January, there will be a new judge.
Responsibility for the court will be handed over to a new administration, which is reason enough to remind voters to examine their choices for the District 4, Division 4 circuit judgeship.
District 4 includes both Washington and Madison counties.
Voters will choose between Cristi Beaumont of Fayetteville and Bob Lambert of Springdale for the six-year term on the court. The two lawyers survived a nonpartisan primary election in May to meet in a runoft on Nov. 6 for the judgeship.
Both are solid candidates and have demonstrated strong interest in the drug court. Beaumont, who has worked with many drug court clients as a deputy public defender, tends to focus on that aspect of the job while Lambert emphasizes the circuit court’s responsibility for civil cases as well. Details about both are available on their respective Web sites: www.
beaumontforjudge.com and www.lambertforjudge.com.
Incidentally, they are among six candidates in all of Arkansas who are in nonpartisan judicial runoft s.
Two others seek a circuit court judgeship elsewhere and the remaining two are candidates for a seat on the Arkansas Court of Appeals.
The practice of deciding such runoft s in conjunction with the general election makes for an awfully long campaign, especially when the positions being sought are not the headlineproducing jobs that naturally draw more attention.
BRENDA BLAGG IS A FREELANCE COLUMNIST.
Opinion, Pages 12 on 10/28/2012