Fulton County Superior Court Judge Doris Downs supports Accountability Courts

Georgians will see an expansion in the availability of drug courts for people facing felony drug charges as a result of recommendations of the Governor’s Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform for Georgians. To Fulton County Superior Court Judge Doris Downs, this is great news. Judge Downs has been operating acountability courts for years, and believes in the results.

The first drug court in the United States was established in Florida in 1989.  In 1994, Georgia’s first drug court opened in Macon.  Since then, a total of 35 drug courts, and 101 accountability courts in total, have been established around the state.  Still, there is room for serious expansion.  A 2010 state audit found that 4,000 of Georgia’s 60,000 state prisoners met the eligibility requirements to participate in a drug court program, but did not have access.  Governor Deal proposes to address this shortfall by increasing the budget for accountability courts five-fold to $10 million.

Proponents of drug courts such as Judeg Downs and Chief Judge Jeffrey Bagley of Forsyth County Superior Court tout the benefits of drug court over more traditional sanctions.  Drug court is less expensive than incarceration, costing about $20 per day compared to the $51 per day for a prison bed.  Whereas about 29% of state prison inmates commit another offense within two years of their release, about 7% of drug court graduates re-offend.  Further, of those who enter a drug court program, 77.6% complete the rigorous requirements and graduate.  A less concrete, but no less important benefit – drug courts help families reunite and/or stay together. 

Chuck Geter, Drug Court Graduate

The Atlanta Journal Constitution ran a five part series on drug courts in March, profiling several drug court graduates.  The consistent theme through all the stories was the re-humanization of offenders and the strengthening of their bonds to family and community.  Chuck Geter, a former Marine, Desert Storm veteran and father, says the drug court program taught him accountability.  He learned to own his actions and the resulting consequences.

 Not all of the players in Georgia’s criminal justice system are excited about the expansion of drug courts.  Some express concern about whether the resources are in place to support the expansion.  Funding and personnel are stretched to the limit in many Georgia counties, and some are skeptical about the reality of the proposed funding increases.  They have learned from experience to take a “wait and see” attitude.  Other’s are concerened about the impact running a drug court might have on the reputation of “tough on crime” judges.  In the AJC article, Floyd County Superior Court Judge Walter Matthews said he is concerned about the image of a judge as “patting people on the head and giving them trinkets or gifts because they went a week without using methamphetamine or cocaine.”  Judge Matthews wonders whether drug court might be more suited to counselors than to judges.

For Georgia’s drug offenders and the people whose lives they impact, only time and experience will tell.