ENROLLED
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 216
BY REPRESENTATIVE KLECKLEY AND SENATOR ALARIO
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To commend the Louisiana Association of Drug Court Professionals and the Louisiana
Supreme Court drug court program.
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Supreme Court has been administering drug courts in the
state since 2001, and drug court judges preside over these dockets in addition to their regular
dockets without extra compensation; and
WHEREAS, drug courts have proven to be a cost effective alternative to
incarceration for defendants who need substance abuse addiction treatment; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Supreme Court works with the Louisiana Association of
Drug Court Professionals (LADCP) to provide educational seminars and training
opportunities for more than five hundred of Louisiana's drug court professionals; and
WHEREAS, the partnership between the LADCP and the Louisiana Supreme Court
has made Louisiana's drug courts some of the best and most progressive in the country and
the information on national best practices shared at staff training opportunities has drawn
interest from drug court professionals in other states; and
WHEREAS, nearly five thousand individuals participated in Louisiana drug court
programs in 2014, and more than eleven thousand five hundred participants have graduated
from Louisiana drug courts since their inception in 1997; and
WHEREAS, statistical data prove that drug courts reduce crime; two years after
graduation from Louisiana drug courts in 2012, more than ninety percent of the clients had
no new criminal convictions, and national research has shown significant reductions in
recidivism for participants in drug courts compared to those sentenced to conventional
justice intervention; and
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WHEREAS, for each dollar invested in drug courts, communities receive an average
of three dollars and thirty-six cents in such benefits as fewer justice system costs through
reduced recidivism; decreased victimization costs; decreased medical costs; and increased
worker productivity; and
WHEREAS, in Louisiana in 2014, fifty drug courts consisting of thirty adult,
seventeen juvenile, and three family preservation courts operated in forty-two parishes, and
of those participating in Louisiana drug courts, an estimated savings of ten million two
hundred fifty thousand dollars is projected for medical and related expenses that will not
need to be paid for the forty-one drug-free babies born to drug court clients in 2014; and
WHEREAS, successful drug court graduates obtain general education diplomas and
employment and become contributing members of society; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Supreme Court drug court program, in conjunction with
the Louisiana Association of Drug Court Professionals, has helped thousands of citizens and
families in Louisiana and each of the judges and staff deserves a special measure of
commendation for their efforts and good works.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend the Louisiana Supreme Court drug court program and the Louisiana Association
of Drug Court Professionals for the fine work this collaboration has achieved in saving lives,
reuniting families, and giving hope.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that suitable copies of this Resolution be transmitted
to the chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court and the president of the Louisiana
Association of Drug Court Professionals.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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