Tennessee Opens Controlled Substance Database to Judges
That’s the theme for Tennessee Drug Courts, which are showing an impressive record in keeping offenders from returning to jail.
The state is now offering a few judges another tool as part of an experimental program.
Hamilton county criminal court judge Rebecca Stern has been running the "drug court" since 2006.
She volunteered for the extra work and has seen it payoff.
The purpose is to monitor the daily lives of drug offenders and offer them a way out of their destructive lifestyle.
But until now, she didn’t all the information from the Controlled Substance Monitoring data base.
JUDGE REBECCA STERN, CRIMINAL COURT JUDGE "This will be a tool that we can use to be able to find out if any of the people on our program are basically abusing prescription medication by doctor shopping or pharmacy shopping."
Six Tennessee counties have been chosen to participate in the pilot project.
JUDGE REBECCA STERN "Drug courts are already saving tax payer money anyway…by treating addiction rather than just warehousing people and hoping it goes away..which it doesn’t do."
The 2 year pilot project is the result of legislation passed by the Tennessee General Assembly earlier this year.
The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence says 80 percent of offenders in prison are there because of substance abuse.
JUDGE REBECCA STERN "The courthouse ..Criminal courts are a revolving door for addicted people. And,up until drug court there’s never been a good solution."
Approximately 60 to 80 percent of drug abusers commit a new crime, which is typically drug-related, after release from prison, but 75 percent of drug court graduates remain arrest-free for at least two years.
With the extra information provided, Judge Stern and her counterparts in 5 other counties will be able to refine a successful program.
If that pilot program proves successful, lawmakers believe it could be extended statewide.
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