Verdict is in, it favors drug court

AS HOPED, Luzerne County’s drug treatment court appears to work for everybody: the addicts who get admitted to the program as well as the taxpayers who foot the bill.

But the latest news is even better than most people expected.

The program, introduced here in January 2006, has so far saved an estimated $1.72 million by keeping nonviolent offenders out of county prison and instead providing them with life-changing lessons and support. (Those services have cost a comparatively cheap $307,900 since the program’s start, according to a newly released report.)

The specialty court not only succeeded when measured in dollars-and-cents terms but also in social ones. The people picked to go through the program showed tremendous resolve at sticking to the plan, seeking better lives through further schooling and staying sober.

Consider these heartening figures compiled by Glacier Consulting Inc., the firm paid to critique Luzerne County’s program:

• Only one graduate, out of 39, has committed a new offense.

• About 68 percent of participants remained in treatment, far exceeding the typical 28 percent.

• Twenty-seven participants have received either high school diplomas or equivalencies; five are attending college.

• Of the 40 active participants, slightly more than half are working.

Glacier’s evaluation also noted that participants had performed about 540 hours of community service. Of even greater importance, participants gave birth to five drug-free babies.

“The early results are impressive,” Glacier’s report stated.

Assuming this favorable evaluation is on target, and similar results can be attained in the future, Luzerne County’s drug treatment court deserves consideration for further funding and growth.

In the meantime, the findings suggest that some people in the Greater Wyoming Valley should reconsider their lock-’em-up-and-toss-away-the-key attitudes toward all illicit drug users. Area residents who resist the opening of nearby methadone treatment clinics and pin all sorts of problems on “druggies” overlook the remarkable capacity of people to change their behaviors.

Sometimes, all it takes is a supportive environment.

And a second chance.