NCJ Number
199837
Date Published
January 2003
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This final report describes the Act 128 Pilot Project in Vermont, in which four counties explored alternative justice approaches for improving offender outcomes and lowering recidivism for offenders with substance abuse problems.
Abstract
The four Vermont counties, Bennington, Chittenden, Lamoille, and Rutland counties, engaged in a voluntary program, pursuant to Act 128, in which various combinations of alternative justice models were explored. The counties experimented with “drug dockets,” with preparing a Federal grant applications for a full-scale drug court, training in the implementation of the drug court model, coordinating more ready access between courts and adolescent screening and social services programs, and the expansion or introduction of court-based substance abuse screening. The goal in each case was to improve accountability, assessment, and the provision of services for persons who had been charged with a crime and had a substance abuse problem. An emphasis was placed on persons under 21 years of age. The justification for these Pilot Programs was to improve the effectiveness and cost efficiency of the justice system, especially given concerns about public safety, expanding court dockets, rising health care costs, incarceration costs, and the impact of drug abuse on families and the Vermont communities in general. This report describes the unique implementation of the Act 128 Pilot Program in each of the four counties. Bennington County decided to apply for the 2003 Adult Drug Court Planning Initiative Grant. While waiting for the grant application outcome, the county implemented interim measures to meet objectives, such as substance abuse screening for criminal defendants. In Chittenden County, the Pilot Program will be used to assess the effectiveness of three pilot drug court projects that are underway in the county. Lamoille County is exploring current resources and assessing the merits of implementing a drug court approach within the county; officials are also applying for a 2003 Adult Planning Initiative Grant. Finally, in Rutland County, the 2003 Implementation Grant is being applied for and three committees have been convened to provide for information and planning, judicial policies, and treating options. The report also presents statewide issues in terms of the effectiveness and implementation of the drug court model within the State of Vermont. Appendices provide information about the drug court initiative committees and key components of drug courts.