SLS 16RS-2945 ORIGINAL
2016 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 117
BY SENATOR MILLS
COURTS. Commends the Louisiana Supreme Court on the successful implementation of
specialty drug courts and requests information on implementation and expansion of other
specialty courts.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To commend the Louisiana Supreme Court on the success of the specialty drug court
3 program and to request information on the drug court program and other statutorily
4 created specialty courts.
5 WHEREAS, in 1997, the Louisiana Legislature recognized the critical need for
6 criminal justice system programs to reduce the incidence of alcohol and drug abuse,
7 addiction, and crimes committed as a result of alcohol and drug use by creating the specialty
8 alcohol and drug treatment divisions in the various district courts of the state; and
9 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Supreme Court has done an exemplary job of implementing and
10 expanding the drug courts throughout our state with fifty operational drug court programs,
11 forty of which have been operational for ten or more years; and
12 WHEREAS, the success of the drug court program is evident in that since its
13 inception more than 12,500 individuals have graduated from the program, a total of 593
14 drug-free babies were born to drug court participants for an estimated savings of more than
15 $12.2 million in health related expenditures and 89.8% of 2012 graduates remained free of
16 additional convictions three years after graduation; and
17 WHEREAS, there are additional specialty courts which have been established by the
18 legislature, namely the mental health court, veterans court, and reentry court; and
Page 1 of 3 SCR NO. 117
SLS 16RS-2945 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, all of the specialty courts are designed to address the underlying clinical
2 and social needs of individuals entering the criminal justice system for nonviolent offenses
3 by overseeing treatment and training mandates that allows the individual to comply with
4 certain requirements as a condition of incarceration avoidance, sentence suspension, or
5 supervised probation; and
6 WHEREAS, the implementation of specialty courts is a cost-effective alternative to
7 incarceration and improves the lives of the participants and their families by providing a
8 foundation for long-term personal and professional stability and success in the community;
9 and
10 WHEREAS, the district court judges who preside over these specialty courts do so
11 in addition to their regular dockets, without any extra compensation, because they have a
12 passion for helping people and are often the sole source of support and encouragement for
13 the participants, motivating and inspiring them to follow the requirements needed to achieve
14 graduation; and
15 WHEREAS, because the drug court program is currently operational in fifty
16 locations throughout Louisiana and is recognized as one of the best and most progressive in
17 the country, it is the desire of the legislature to see it expand even further; and
18 WHEREAS, it is also the desire of the legislature to see the mental health court,
19 veterans court, and reentry court expanded throughout Louisiana.
20 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
21 commend the Louisiana Supreme Court on the success of the specialty drug court program
22 and requests that the Louisiana Supreme Court submit a report to the legislature no later than
23 February 1, 2017, to include information on plans and proposals to expand the drug court
24 program and the status of implementation and plans for expansion of the mental health court,
25 veterans court, and reentry court.
26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the report should also identify opportunities for
27 funding or abilities to use local revenue to draw down federal matching dollars to help
28 sustain the specialty court programs along with any recommendations for legislation to be
29 filed in the 2017 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature.
30 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
Page 2 of 3 SCR NO. 117
SLS 16RS-2945 ORIGINAL
1 Louisiana Supreme Court.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Christine Arbo Peck.
DIGEST
SCR 117 Original 2016 Regular Session Mills
Commends the Louisiana Supreme Court on the success of the specialty drug court program
and requests a report on the drug court program and other statutorily created specialty courts
to the legislature no later than February 1, 2017.
Page 3 of 3