I know from my experience in Miami that drug courts help addicts kick the habit and have a positive impact on communities throughout the country. Additionally, female drug court participants have given birth to more than 200 drug-free babies while enrolled in various drug courts. People in the system and outside it are often quite cynical about the traditional court process having an impact on these offenders, who seem to just cycle through at the taxpayers' expense. Program success can be traced to the first-ever drug court initiative started in Miami, Florida. An evaluation of that court by the Justice Department's National Institute of Justice revealed a 33 percent reduction in rearrests for drug court graduates compared with non-drug court offenders.
Research continues to show that drug courts reduce recidivism.
Subsequent implementation and enhancement awards will be made later this year from existing applications. Some Fiscal Year 1996 funds are being combined with Fiscal Year 1997 funds to form the award pool. Drug courts use drug testing to ensure that program participants stay drug-free. Participants are subject to sanctions for failing to comply with their treatment regimens and receive incentives for progress. Continued failure to comply with program rules results in expulsion from the program and incarceration.