Community Response

The law calls possession of a controlled substance for the sole purpose of feeding an addiction "simple possession," and the individual who commits the crime possesses a controlled narcotic without a prescription. Sending people to jail for simple drug possession can be a self-defeating and destructive policy which only interrupts a cycle of substance abuse.

Recognizing the ineffectiveness of traditional methods used by the government in its War on Drugs, the Unitarian Universalist Association called for a re-examination of how to conduct this battle its 2000 State of Conscience. The members of Emerson Unitarian Church in Houston, Texas, agree with the Association's conclusions and consider drug enforcement efforts in our community to be a legal problem and a moral issue. To promote a more effective approach to combating drug abuse in the community, Emerson Unitarian Church has established and maintains the Harris County Drug Court Foundation for the sole purpose of providing support for the Harris County Drug Court.

The Harris County Drug Court Foundation

The Internal Revenue Service granted the Harris County Drug Court Foundation (HCDCF) non-profit status as 501 c (3) corporation in July of 2006. Currently, Interfaith Ministries of Houston participate in HCDCF activities and the Foundation anticipates future partnerships other area faith organizations.

The Big Picture - Drug Courts Across the Nation

Lower Recidivism Rates
There are 1,500 drug courts currently in operation or in planning phases throughout the United States. Data collected after a few years of court operations has led observers to conclude the drug court system actually works. Using a pool of 100 drug courts, a 2003 study followed more than 2,000 drug court graduates progress for over two years. The drug court graduates had a recidivism rate of only 27.5%. Individuals who were incarcerated, but received no treatment had a 58.6% recidivism rate.

Reuniting Families
Other national studies indicate that 67% of drug offenders who are introduced to drug court stay with the program through graduation. The benefits of the drug court program are not limited to just the individual program participants and their families, but to society as a whole: successful drug court clients have given birth to an estimated 2,100 drug free infants; more than 3,500 individuals have regained custody of their children upon completion of drug court programs; more than 4,500 parents are able to resume child support payments; and studies indicate that 98% of all drug court graduates were able to obtain or retain gainful employment. By concentrating on redeeming one life at a time, reuniting one family at a time, and helping heal the ravages of drug abuse in our society one small, hard-won incremental success at a time, drug courts provide a viable workable solution to an otherwise devastating destructive cycle of addiction and reincarceration.

Saving Money
In addition to saving careers, relationships and lives, other benefits can be calculated as well. Drug courts provide significant cost savings over incarceration. Consider the following examples: Dallas, Texas, recorded a $9.43 savings to every $1 spent on a client in drug court; Oregon reported saving $10 for every $1 spent; and California added a whopping $18 million in avoided costs to its budget. For an example of savings closer to home, consider Oklahoma. While the annual cost of incarcerating an individual in Oklahoma is $15,800, that state's drug court expenditures only amounted to about $5,000 per client . That represents an astounding savings to the state's coffers of $11,800 per would-be inmate totaling nearly $23,600,000.

Helping Clients
Become Productive Members of Society Unlike traditional treatment programs, becoming "clean and sober" is only the first step toward graduating from drug court. An individual must also become current in financial obligations, maintain employment, complete adjudicated community service, receive and practice like skills, obtain a GED, and in some cases, obtain a driver's license. Even though there exists an undeniable correlation between drug abuse and other attributes of social dysfunction such as poor reading skills, deteriorating family ties, and low self esteem, most courts do not address these issues when sentencing drug offenders. From across the country and at home here in Harris County, drug court has been proven to make an unprecedented difference in the lives of former, repeat non-violent drug offenders. That happens because drug court has at its core one, fundamental premise - treatment of the total problem. A client will not only receive well-structured treatment services required to help kick the habit, but also coordinated and comprehensive programs of rehabilitation services aimed at addressing the underlying personal problems of the drug user. By this approach and not by imprisonment, a person's long-term success at re-entry into a stabilized way of life begins.