NEW YORK TIMES: Federal judges around the country are teaming up with prosecutors to create special treatment programs for drug-addicted defendants who would otherwise face significant prison time, an effort intended to sidestep drug laws widely seen as inflexible and overly punitive.
The Justice Department has tentatively embraced the new approach, allowing United States attorneys to reduce or even dismiss charges in some drug cases.
The effort follows decades of success for “drug courts” at the state level, which legal experts have long cited as a less expensive and more effective alternative to prison for dealing with many low-level repeat offenders… (more)
EDITOR: Lancaster has long had a Drug Court. Credit is due the Lancaster Newspapers, Inc. for its enlightened guidance concerning drug addiction over at least two decades.
