Editorial: Drug Court could help out state

Gov. Kenny Guinn has unveiled a potentially groundbreaking plan which -- if successful -- could alter the way Nevadans think about imprisoning nonviolent criminals who have substance abuse problems. The Sun's Cy Ryan reported Wednesday that Guinn is developing a pilot program that would free 100 prison inmates six months early on the condition they enroll in Drug Court for one year.

Currently Drug Court is used for first-time criminals to keep them out of prison. Under Guinn's plan inmates who already are in prison for nonviolent crimes would be eligible for the Drug Court program. Their crimes wouldn't have to be directly drug-related. For instance, burglars, credit card thieves, embezzlers and others who committed their crimes to quench a drug habit also could participate.

There are a number of substantial benefits under this program. First, it frees up prison space that instead could be used for violent offenders. Second, an inmate while attending Drug Court would cost a maximum of $10,000 a year. The cost to house an inmate in a state prison can range from $16,000 to $25,000 a year. Third, the Drug Court program in Clark County run by District Court Judge Jack Lehman has shown excellent results. Only 14 percent of those who complete the Drug Court program get into trouble again. Although it's not comparing apples to apples, 80 percent of all prison inmates in Nevada who are released eventually end up back in prison.

In the first two weeks of Drug Court, the offender must receive six acupuncture treatments a week to reduce stress and to aid him in getting over his longing for drugs. The program also mandates counseling sessions and periodic urine samples to make sure the offender is drug free. Every month the offender must also appear before Lehman to chart his progress.

If a Democratic governor had advocated what Guinn has proposed it likely would have been greeted with GOP catcalls. Democrats probably would not have supported a governor from their own party, either, for fear of being labeled soft on crime by Republicans. But with a Republican governor backing a limited early-release program for nonviolent offenders, maybe a fresh approach can be taken when looking at our prisons and criminal justice system.

Funding for prisons isn't infinite and this is exacerbated in a conservative environment of "no new taxes." Yet as long as the public demands that violent criminals be put away for long prison sentences, which carries with it a hefty price tag, policymakers will need to find novel policy approaches in dealing with nonviolent criminals, such as the one Guinn is charting.

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