Pubdate: Thurs, 07 October 1999 Source: Star-Ledger (NJ) Copyright: 1999 Newark Morning Ledger Co. Contact: 1 Star-Ledger Plaza, Newark, N.J., 07102-1200 Website: http://www.nj.com/starledger/ Forum: http://forums.nj.com/ Author: Dan Coburn Note: Dan Coburn, a Superior Court judge from 1980 to 1992 who oversaw a successful drug court pilot project in 1988, is now a municipal prosecutor and lawyer in Morristown. He is the senior fellow at the Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center at Hamilton College. DRUG COURT CAN NIP BIGGER PROBLEMS IN THE BUD State Sen. Anthony Bucco of Morris County recently announced that he would introduce legislation to create a specialized drug court in New Jersey. The drug court concept, a bipartisan favorite in Congress, is in effect in one form or another in a handful of the state's urban counties. A drug court is typically run by a specially trained judge experienced in dealing with substance abuse of all types. Judges are aided by a consortium of agencies, including probation departments, mentoring groups, Alcoholics anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, and other qualified public and private organizations. Drug court participants are subject to drug testing and a "needs assessment" exam upon entering the program, followed by sanctions, treatment and supervision. Bucco's proposal contains three remarkable innovations. The first reflects his belief that more attention must be focused on the victims of domestic violence and their families in relation to substance abuse. His plan provides that specified cases of domestic violence - whether civil or criminal matters - involving offender substance abuse should be eligible for inclusion in drug court. Substance abuse is often the cause of domestic abuse. Second, the legislation would permit specified juvenile cases in which substance abuse is a primary problem to be transferred to the drug court for resolution. A teenage juvenile substance abuser who is continually in trouble is but a few years and a major crime away from being dealt with in adult court. Unresolved substance abuse worsens with time until it is too late to save the juvenile and, more important, to save the victims. Bucco's most innovative proposal is to create a municipal drug court pilot program in Morristown or another municipality. The nearby Superior Court would refer violators to the drug court. Morris County Prosecutor John Dangler already has staff in municipal court to help victims and others dealing with domestic violence. Cases of substance abuse leading to domestic abuse are often dealt with first in municipal court, where treatment options are nil. Jail time is seldom a solution to the underlying problems. Losing a job may increase, not reduce, substance abuse. Unchecked violence can escalate to more serious violence, and rehabilitation may be too late. Dealing with substance abuse at the entry level is a simple way of keeping minnows from becoming sharks. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea