The overwhelming success of the country's drug court system during the past 18 years has led to the creation of a whole new way of approaching America's personal legal problems. If you're one of the lucky folks who haven't been to court lately, you probably don't know how drug addicted prisoners have helped bring about a better justice system, all because drug rehab actually works.



Here's how it happened. Back in 1989, the federal government urged the states to do something about overcrowded jails. It was the height of the crack cocaine epidemic in America, and in Miami, Florida, cocaine was a very big problem. If you're old enough, recall the TV show 'Miami Vice' – chances are you'll also think of drugs (drug rehab wasn't a household term yet). Miami and drugs were almost synonymous.

Meanwhile, Miami-Dade County officials knew that maybe three-quarters of the people in jail were non-violent drug abusers. Such offenders were seldom, if ever, ordered by a judge to a drug rehab program. They went to jail, got out, used more drugs, did more crimes, and went back to jail – the drug-related crime revolving door.

Whoever had this bright idea deserves a medal: Let's try putting the addicts, who are not violent criminals, through a drug rehab program. Watch them closely and if they make it, offer to drop the charges. In other words, motivate them and treat the cause of the crime, and clear the jails of thousands of not really dangerous people. If it's a successful drug rehab program they'll recover their lives and we won't see them again in court.

State Attorney (at the time) Janet Reno, with Chief Judge Gerald Wetherington, Judge Herbert Klein, and Public Defender Bennett Brummer, evolved the first drug court for nonviolent offenders to get drug rehab instead of jail time. It opened in Miami, and became a sensation across the country. Here was a way to deal with the escalating number of drug offenders coming through the courts and into the jails.

Drug rehab really works when it's motivated and it's done right. From 1989 to 1999, nearly 500 drug courts appeared in cities across the country. By the end of this year, the number of drug courts will have risen to over 2000, with dozens more planned. The reason is that they save tons of money, prevent new crime, and save lives. In Portland, OR, from 1991 to 2001, drug court saved taxpayers $79 million. The story is much the same in cities everywhere.

The secret of drug courts was simple: A specialized court with specially trained personnel dealing with a specialized problem. Offender has a drug addiction? A supervised drug rehab is the answer. You get predictable results, and save tons of time and money.

Building on the drug court formula of specialization and supervision, a host of new courts have arisen. In 2004, the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators issued a statement to all 50 State Chief Justices and State Court Administrators to "take steps, nationally and locally, to expand and better integrate the principles and methods of well-functioning drug courts into ongoing court operations." They said "drug court and problem solving court principles and methods have demonstrated great success in addressing certain complex social problems, such as recidivism, that are not effectively addressed by the traditional legal process."

Here's a list of what has transpired since the first drug-addicted offenders in Miami were put through drug court and well-supervised drug rehab programs. These have changed the face of our judicial system, and they're all based in one way or another on drug court methods:

Adult Drug Court (what we've been talking about)

Campus Drug Court

Community Courts

Domestic Violence Court

DWI Court (or DUI Court)

Family Dependency Treatment Court

Gambling Court

Gun Court

Juvenile Drug Court

Mental Health Court

Reentry Drug Court

Teen Court

Truancy Court

By 2005, there were 2,558 specialized 'Problem Solving Courts' to deal with almost every kind of legal issue a family can imagine, and it's likely that number now is closer to 3,000. These new specialized courts make dealing with special problems faster, easier, and much more effectively than ever. Who could have foreseen such a development from that first drug court in Miami in 1989, all because a specialized approach and a successful drug rehab program turned out to be the key to success.