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