MAHONING COUNTY Drug courts change lives, study shows

The recidivism rate for misdemeanor drug court graduates is 8.2 percent.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County's felony and misdemeanor drug courts reduce recidivism and save the taxpayers a lot of money, according to a Youngstown State University study.
The drug courts, an alternative to jail for non-violent offenders, also change lives, according a graduate of the program who says it helped turn his life around.
Speaking at a press conference Monday to reveal the results of the YSU study, Brad -- only his first name was used -- said he faced a felony charge that would have resulted in jail time.
The program "pointed me in the right direction and gave me my life back," he said.
Drug courts work, said Judge Court John M. Durkin of Mahoning Common Pleas Court, who presides over the felony drug court.
Nationally and locally, studies have proven that drug courts save money, reduce health costs, increase employment and help bring families together again, said David McKay, felony drug court coordinator.
Staying clean
The Mahoning County Misdemeanor Drug Court, presided over by Common Pleas Judge Scott D. Hunter, has achieved a recidivism rate of 8.2 percent among its graduates, according to the study, done by YSU's Center for Urban and Regional Studies.
That compares with 64 percent recidivism in a control group not in the drug court program, and a national rate of 45 percent of offenders not in drug court programs who relapse.
"People are getting cleaned up from drugs and are not committing crimes," said Atty. George Sofranko, misdemeanor drug court coordinator.
The felony drug court was created in 1998 and the misdemeanor drug court began operation in 2001.
How it works
Nonviolent offenders come to both courts in essentially the same way. They are referred by defense attorneys, law enforcement, or the defendants themselves. They are screened to determine if they are eligible for drug court. One requirement is that they have a substance abuse problem. Once they are accepted, they plead guilty in open court and begin receiving treatment from various community agencies.
According to the YSU study, the felony drug court has saved Mahoning County taxpayers about $4.3 million in incarceration fees, and the misdemeanor court another $500,000.
Judges Durkin and Hunter said the continued operation of the drug courts is heavily dependent on the county's 0.5 percent sales tax and urged its renewal.
alcorn@vindy.com