Us Department Of Justice Official Release - 03187-180 Txt

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 1995

AG (202) 616-0189 TDD (202) 514-1888

SENATE UNANIMOUSLY RESTORES FUNDING FOR DRUG COURTS AG Reno Lauds Bipartisan Effort to Save Critical Crime Bill Program from Rescission Attorney General Janet Reno today praised the Senate's move to save the crime bill's drug court program from the rescission axe. In a unanimous consent vote late Thursday night, the Senate moved in bipartisan fashion to restore $10 million in funding this fiscal year for the program, which would enable cities to set up specialized courts to help break the link between substance abuse and criminal activity. "The Senate made a bipartisan decision last night, and they made the right decision. And they did it because they know that drug courts make sense, and they are tough on crime," said Reno. "Most of all, they work." Reno also commended Senators Joseph Biden and Ernest Hollings for their leadership in restoring funding for the drug courts. The 1994 Crime Bill provided $1 billion in funding for drug courts, but the House of Representatives voted in February to defund the program after this fiscal year. In March, the House voted to eliminate this year's $28 million in federal drug court funding. Drug courts are designed to force criminals out of the cycle of drug addiction before they return to the streets. Offenders must undergo mandatory, periodic drug testing, mandatory substance abuse treatment, and are subject to graduated sanctions for failing to show satisfactory progress in their treatment regimens. Only non-violent offenders are eligible to participate. "More than half of those who enter the criminal justice have substance abuse problems," said Reno. "Studies show that drug courts help offenders kick the habit and break the cycle of addiction and recidivism. That's why they are supported by a bipartisan spectrum of prosecutors, judges, public defenders, law enforcement officials, and treatment specialists from across the country." On March 15, Reno and Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Lee Brown visited the D.C. drug court program -acknowledged as one of the nation's most innovative -- which assigns drug felons to a program of intensive coerced abstinence and treatment for up to eight months. They called on the Congress to restore drug court funding.

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