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Newsbrief:
North
Carolina
Drug
Courts
Face
Ax
Because
of
Budget
Woes
5/24/02
Like more than 40 other states,
North Carolina is grappling with sudden budget deficits, and the state's
drug courts could be among the victims. The state's Administrative
Office of the Courts, which funds the drug courts in nine judicial districts,
must slash $11 million from its $305 million budget has proposed eliminating
all funding for the drug courts. This year, they cost the Administrative
Office $1.1 million.
"The current budget crisis
is forcing the AOC to choose between cutting programs or closing courts
in the state," AOC spokeswoman Patty McQuillan told the Charlotte Observer.
"We've got to maintain court services for the public even though the few
programs the court system has, such as the drug treatment program, have
assisted in turning lives around. But we can't close courts."
Drug court advocates claimed
they reduced recidivism rates, and their defenders cited a recent study
by the AOC that found 21% of drug court graduates were re-arrested, while
47% of similar offenders who did not undergo court-ordered drug treatment
were re-arrested.
Drug court judges have appealed
to Gov. Mike Easley for the money to be restored, but he has yet to respond.
Senate Appropriations Committee co-chair Fountain Odom (D-Mecklenburg)
expressed sympathy, but warned that tough cuts are coming. "There
are a lot of good programs that will be reduced," he told the Observer.
-- END --
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Issue #238, 5/24/02
Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform Joins with Members of Congress at US Capitol to Call for Repeal of HEA Drug Provision | British MPs Call for Massive Drug Policy Reform, But Reject Legalization -- for Now | Incoming Dutch Government Threatens Coffee Shops | Budget Crunch: Drug War Fuels Mississippi Prison Binge, No Money Left for Education | High School Drug Courts Spreading in West Virginia | Newsbrief: Marijuana Exile Steve Kubby Claims Refugee Status in Canada | Newsbrief: British Cannabis Cafe Owner Freed | Newsbrief: North Carolina Drug Courts Face Ax Because of Budget Woes | Newsbrief: New York City Cops in Paraphernalia Sweep, Big Hoopla, Misdemeanor Arrests | Newsbrief: Seattle Marijuana Initiative Signature-Gathering Now Underway | Newsbrief: Santa Cruz to Place Needle Disposal Boxes in Public Restrooms | Errata: Different Kinds of Mushrooms | The Reformer's Calendar
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