CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Kanawha County is one of five areas in West Virginia that will launch its own drug court in early 2009, offering treatment and supervision to nonviolent offenders whose addictions have landed them in the criminal justice system.

Nationally, the number of drug courts has exploded, growing from 665 in 2000 to 2,147 in 2007, according to the National Drug Court Institute.

"It gives these folks a support system around them in the actual community where they will be living, a means of changing their life so that they don't have to go back to criminal activity," said Linda Richmond Artimez, the state Supreme Court's administrative counsel of mental hygiene services.

"The whole idea here is putting these people into a structured environment where they can stay in treatment and change their lives," she said.

Drug courts typically require supervision and treatment for non-violent offenders for at least a year or 18 months, she said.

Key components include regular drug testing, careful monitoring (sometimes including electronic tracking to prevent users from visiting certain "hot zones" where drugs are prevalent) and positive reinforcement for progress and sanctions for negative behavior, she said.

"These are not easy programs. These are programs that require work, but give people a real opportunity to turn their lives around, and not be slaves to drugs and alcohol," Artimez said.

West Virginia's first drug program debuted in the Northern Panhandle in 2005, and efforts have grown to include four adult drug courts and two juvenile programs. The most recent addition, the Southwestern Drug Court, opened in November, serving Boone, Lincoln and Logan counties.

"One of the benefits of drug courts is they can help reduce the costs in a way that will affect recidivism in a positive way and protect safety by providing people with an opportunity to change their lives," Artimez said.

According to the National Drug Court Institute's most recent national report card, a decade's worth of research demonstrates that drug courts improve the outcome of treatment, reduce crime and "produce greater cost benefits more effectively than any other justice strategy."

Recent data indicates that West Virginia's drug courts are above the national average in keeping participants in treatment programs and graduation rates, she said.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Kanawha County is one of five areas in West Virginia that will launch its own drug court in early 2009, offering treatment and supervision to nonviolent offenders whose addictions have landed them in the criminal justice system.

Nationally, the number of drug courts has exploded, growing from 665 in 2000 to 2,147 in 2007, according to the National Drug Court Institute.

"It gives these folks a support system around them in the actual community where they will be living, a means of changing their life so that they don't have to go back to criminal activity," said Linda Richmond Artimez, the state Supreme Court's administrative counsel of mental hygiene services.

"The whole idea here is putting these people into a structured environment where they can stay in treatment and change their lives," she said.

Drug courts typically require supervision and treatment for non-violent offenders for at least a year or 18 months, she said.

Key components include regular drug testing, careful monitoring (sometimes including electronic tracking to prevent users from visiting certain "hot zones" where drugs are prevalent) and positive reinforcement for progress and sanctions for negative behavior, she said.

"These are not easy programs. These are programs that require work, but give people a real opportunity to turn their lives around, and not be slaves to drugs and alcohol," Artimez said.

West Virginia's first drug program debuted in the Northern Panhandle in 2005, and efforts have grown to include four adult drug courts and two juvenile programs. The most recent addition, the Southwestern Drug Court, opened in November, serving Boone, Lincoln and Logan counties.

"One of the benefits of drug courts is they can help reduce the costs in a way that will affect recidivism in a positive way and protect safety by providing people with an opportunity to change their lives," Artimez said.

According to the National Drug Court Institute's most recent national report card, a decade's worth of research demonstrates that drug courts improve the outcome of treatment, reduce crime and "produce greater cost benefits more effectively than any other justice strategy."

Recent data indicates that West Virginia's drug courts are above the national average in keeping participants in treatment programs and graduation rates, she said.

Other areas poised to open drug courts are Cabell, Greenbrier and Pocahontas, Monongalia and Preston counties, Artimez said.

West Virginia has a lot to gain from using drug courts to divert offenders from jail and prison because it is near the top nationally for number of people incarcerated per capita, she said.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, West Virginia's imprisonment rate grew by 123 prisoners per 100,000 population between 2000 and 2007, second nationwide only to Kentucky.

Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper fully supports the new drug court. The approach of "locking everyone up and throwing away the key" has run its course, he said.

"The idea is to try to break this habitual use of drugs and put [drug offenders] to work and make them pay for their own support," he said. "Under the old system, you put them in jail five or six months, then they get back out and offend again. That's not working out too well."

Locally, the push to get Kanawha County's drug court up and running has been led by Chief Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey Walker, whom Carper describes as "tireless" in her efforts. In September, the county was awarded a $335,000 federal grant to create its drug court.

State funds from the Purdue Pharma settlement will supplement the federal grant, Artimez said.

With the county's jail bills approaching $350,000 a month - it costs $48.50 to house a prisoner for one day - any program that reduces the number of inmates is a welcome addition, Carper said.

While it is tempting to measure the success of the drug court in terms reducing spending on housing prisoners, the public defender and prosecuting attorney's offices will also benefit from not having to process as many defendants through the judicial system, he said.

"The real savings will be the societal cost," he said. "Put people to work, saving a mom or a dad. That's worth it."

Reach Andrew Clevenger at acleven...@wvgazette.com">acleven...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1723.