Drug courts on trial

Abstract

Over the last decade, an increasing number of jurisdictions have taken a fresh approach to curbing drug abuse and easing the logjam of drug-related criminal cases: the drug court. Drug courts are a mechanism for providing long-term court-supervised treatment to offenders with drug problems. H.B. 1287 requires all Texas counties with a population of more than 550,000 to create drug courts. The 2001 Legislature allocated $750,000 annually for drug courts, which rely mostly on a combination of local and federal dollars. Drug courts place a priority on identifying people who meet the courts' criteria - often, even before they are indicted - and could benefit from alcohol and drug treatment. H.B. 1287 allows drug courts to collect program, testing and counseling fees from participants based on their ability to pay.