NJ Drug Court Provides Alternatives for Non-Violent Drug Offenders

For defendants charged with low-level drug offenses like simple possession of marijuana, Drug Court offers an alternative to incarceration.

For years, NJ Governor Chris Christie has touted the positive effects of alternative sentencing programs like Drug Court. According to Christie, New Jersey’s Drug Court program provides low-level drug offenders with an opportunity to focus on rehabilitation instead of worrying about incarceration.

The reality is that recidivism rates are on the rise across New Jersey. That’s part of what makes the NJ Drug Court program so important: statistics show that the re-arrest rate for people who complete Drug Court is just 16 percent, compared to 54 percent for offenders who do not go through the Drug Court program. Another startling statistic: just eight percent of Drug Court graduates end up being re-convicted, while 43 percent of other offenders are ultimately re-convicted in New Jersey.

When it comes to non-violent crimes like marijuana possession and illegal prescription drug possession, it simply doesn’t seem right to many people that these individuals in need of help for their drug addiction problems are instead treated like violent criminals. That’s one of the reasons that the Drug Court program was started in the first place: to ensure that addicts get treatment instead of prison so that they can break the cycle of crime and go on to become valuable members of society. Since the inception of the NJ Drug Court program, approximately 19,000 people have benefited from the focus on treatment instead of punishment.

Now Governor Christie is pushing even harder for the NJ Drug Court program to be expanded so that more drug addicts can get the treatment they desperately need. Christie recently cut the ribbon on the O’Connor Hall Halfway House at Straight and Narrow, a Paterson NJ residential treatment facility that will offer 50 beds to drug addicts who are looking to get better and kick their drug habits.

Prior to cutting the ribbon at the drug treatment center, Christie listened to a number of former drug addicts talk about their heartbreaking pasts, many of which involved drug issues and attempted suicide. Christie later said that he was inspired by these individuals’ tales of redemption. Christie went on to declare, “No one can tell me that drug court doesn’t make a difference in people’s lives – it does.”

For additional information, go to the following article: Christie touts drop in repeat offenses for drug crimes