Drug Courts Offer Addicts One Last Chance at Rehab

1,200 Massachusetts drug offenders are currently enrolled in the special "drug court" sessions where defendants are given one last chance: Commit to drug addiction treatment -- and to intense supervision -- and you'll stay out of jail. Started in the 1990s, it is a program with a demonstrated record of success -- addicts who participate re-offend less often, and stay sober longer.

The program grew out of a realization that simple incarceration of offenders with drug addiction issues had been a proven failure. As the number of drug addicts responsible for criminal acts grew -- by 1997 about 70 percent of those arrested for crimes nationwide were acknowledged drug users -- government and court officials arrived at a consensus that more drug addiction treatment was a better answer. With federal support, some 1,700 drug courts have been established across the country.

Source: www.boston.com