DRUG COURT ESTABLISHED FOR CALHOUN-ROANE - Program Could Save Taxpayers $21 Million

(09/03/2015)

Adult drug courts are expanding quickly in West Virginia with one for Roane and Calhoun counties announced Tuesday in Spencer, the state is moving closer to establishing such courts in all 55 counties by 2016. Calhoun Prosecutor Shannon Johnson said, "Drug court will be an excellent opportunity for our court system to more adequately address the serious problem of addiction that our community faces." "Most of my cases - criminal and abuse and neglect cases - involve drugs or alcohol. We in the court system have an obligation not just to punish crime, but also to prevent future crime and rehabilitate the people we see." "This will help us accomplish that goal while making our communities safer and improving the lives of those that need it," said Johnson. Drug courts act as diversionary programs for people who are addicted to drugs and have been charged with relatively minor crimes. In lieu of jail time, participants take an extensive testing, counseling and community service program run by the court system to help them control their substance-abuse problems. If the participant completes the program, prosecutors agree to dismiss their criminal charge. Last February, officials gathered at the Capitol to celebrate 1,000 graduates of adult and juvenile drug courts in the Mountain State. With the addition of Roane and Calhoun, 39 counties in the state now are covered by drug courts. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has said it's estimated that drug court programs save West Virginia taxpayers about $21 million annually in incarceration costs. Many graduates have credited the program with saving their lives. It has not yet been determined which judge will oversee the program in Roane and Calhoun. The counties are part of the Fifth Judicial Circuit and also include Jackson and Mason counties, which already have drug courts. See DRUG COURT PROGRAM OFFERS HOPE TO ADDICTS - Regional Counties Looking At Implementing, Calhoun Officials Attend Presentation

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