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13 September 1999
Drug Courts Achieve Record Meth Rehab Rates

SAN DIEGO, CA – Statistically, 37 year-old Eileen Gaffney should be behind bars, most likely for a repeat methamphetemine-related offense. Instead, the former "crystal" addict from Pacific Beach will leave her full-time workplace a little early this week. She'll join 20 other recovering meth addicts who have successfully completed the rigorous guidelines of the innovative, but still-experimental, San Diego County Drug Courts.

Since their inception more than two years ago, the drug courts have successfully rehabilitated larger and larger groups of meth offenders. On Wednesday, September 15 at 6 PM at the Lakeside Community Center, the East County Drug Court will drop the criminal charges of 21 recovering meth users at the court's largest graduation ceremony yet. The group reflects the unparalleled success the drug courts have experienced treating nonviolent methamphetemine offenders.

"The courts have discovered an ingenious new system that actually breaks the cycle of addiction for many hard-core, lifelong meth users," said Patricia K. Cookson, Superior Court Judge of the East County Drug Court and member of the County of San Diego Methamphetemine Strike Force. "By monitoring our defendants with unprecedented supervision, our early success stories are nothing short of miracles," she said.

According to county statistics, methamphetemine is the "drug of choice" for nearly 70 percent of the county's 450 drug court participants. That figure rises to nearly 80 percent in the North and East County divisions. Of the 58 former meth users graduated from the East County Drug Court, only one has been re-arrested.

The county's three other drug courts boast of similar achievements. The North, and South County Drug Courts, for example, are celebrating their largest groups of meth graduates to date. Although data is preliminary, the North County Drug Court is reporting a 93 percent success rate; dramatically higher than the 37 percent success rate of the nation's traditional court system according to Department of Justice figures.

"The key to the success of the drug courts is close supervision of the participant," says Judge David W. Ryan of the North County Drug Court. "We've got treatment counselors who meet in sessions every day with the participants. We've got sheriff's deputies and police officers who are in constant contact with our participants at their homes and their work places," he explained. "Suddenly, the judiciary system has the teeth it needs to enforce its rulings. Most importantly, our participants are made to feel like they're worth the investment.

The county's four drug courts operate alongside traditional Superior Court departments in the courthouses of Vista, East County, Downtown, and the South County, but the proceedings are anything but conventional. Participants must plead guilty to their charges and can be sent to jail at any time during the program. In exchange, each participant is assessed for treatment needs and introduced to a team of judicial, law enforcement, and treatment specialists. From detox to job training, the team devotes itself to the participant's rehabilitation and monitors every step of the participant's recovery.

"The Methamphetemine Strike Force applauds the protocol of the county's drug courts," said Jack Drown, Undersheriff of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and Co-chair of the Meth Strike Force. "With unprecedented supervision of participants, frequent drug testing, and dedicated recovery specialists, the San Diego County Drug Courts are proving themselves invaluable in the fight against methamphetemine addiction," Drown added.

Meth Strike Force Officials also highlight the money saving aspects of the program. "The drug court program costs about $3,000 for each participant. It costs $25,000 dollars to keep a drug offender in jail for up to a year," said San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who initiated the strike force in 1996. "The drug court program is one of the most effective drug programs in San Diego County to move people away from a life of meth addiction."