Previous Story
May proclaimed as ‘Drug Court Month’
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres yesterday proclaimed May 2016 as “Drug Court Month” in the presence of members of the Judiciary.
“The NMI Judiciary and the District Court for the CNMI recently established drug court programs to offer a creative blend of treatment and sanction alternatives to effectively address offender behavior, rehabilitation, and the safety of our community,” the Office of the Governor said in a statement yesterday. “The time has come to put a treatment court with reach of every eligible person in need.”
The proclamation notes the benefits that drug courts have had throughout the nation, saying that these have treated over 1.4 million individuals with their blend of treatment and sanction methods to address offenders and their rehabilitation.
The proclamation says these courts are recognized as the “most successful criminal justice intervention” in the nation’s history, and saves up to $27 for every $1 invested and up to $13,000 for every individual served.
It also notes that 75 percent of treatment court graduates “will never see another pair of handcuffs.”
Torres late last month budgeted $253,470 to meet the funding mandates for the Drug Court Act of 2015.
There are some 2,966 drug courts and other treatment courts nationwide.
