With one stroke of the pen, the New Jersey State Legislature and Governor Christie may have accomplished more to help addicts than I have done in over 40 years!  Passing S-881 provides mandatory treatment for all addicts coming through the Drug Court, whether they want it or not.  This law and the Drug Court approach are consistent with research showing that addicts don’t have to want help to receive it.  The mandatory aspect of the law and the fact that it would expand Drug Courts into 21 counties will offer immediate help to non-violent addicts who commit crimes to support their addiction.  “..we won’t wait for them to come to the conclusion that they need treatment on their own. With this legislation we are building on our record of reducing recidivism, reclaiming
lives by breaking the vicious cycle of crime and addiction, and doing so in a way that is less costly and more effective in getting results,” said Governor Christie.”  Many if not most people with the disease of addiction do not have the money to support their habit and must resort to what I call “quiet and non-violent crimes.”  Their disease takes over their mind and behavior and they do things they would normally never even think of doing.  Before the Drug Court offered coerced treatment accompanied by five years of supervision, many of these non-violent crimes would be met by a jail or prison sentence and no treatment. In New Jersey, much of the pioneering work in organizing and implementing the Drug Court was done by a team and Yvonne Segars was prominent in this effort in Essex County.  In the mid 1990’s, Segars and others brought prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges together to learn more about the national Drug Court model. Usually in opposition, prosecutors and judges and defense attorneys now worked together as a team so that an addict could receive long-term treatment help in lieu of incarceration. Judge Katheryn Hayden was also a pioneer and became the first Drug Court Judge in Essex County in 1996 and one of the first in the state.  As Segars said about the role of the Drug Court team: “Our primary role, collectively as a group, is to assist individuals in getting through and succeeding in the substance abuse program. We are all working toward that end, and if we understand that and we’re all on the same page, we increase the probability that the outcomes will be positive.  The results in the US of judicially coerced Drug Court treatment plus long-term follow up have been significantly higher when compared to no treatment or involuntary treatment without coercion.  In a study completed in 2003 published by the Criminal Practice Division at the Administrative Office of the Courts – The New Jersey Courts,  “The cumulative rate of retention since the program began in New Jersey in 1996 is 64%.”. Even if some counties dip below this rate, the results support the present expansion of the Drug Courts to all 21 New Jersey counties.