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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
An Ounce of Prevention “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Spend an emotional hour in one of the four Harris County STAR Drug Courts and three truths become evident. First, illegal drugs are a major root cause of many of the crimes committed in Harris County. Second, ending the cycle of drug use and abuse is key to ending recidivism. Third, Harris County criminal judges, district attorneys, criminal defense attorneys, probation officers, and court staff are working together to provide hope to the hopeless, and as a result, they are making Harris County a safer and better place to live. “STAR” stands for Success Through Addiction Recovery. Former District Judge Caprice Cosper has been the moving force in initiating and carrying forward the program. The STAR courts work with approximately 150 non-violent, repeat drug offenders by using both the criminal justice system and outside treatment providers to help break the cycle of drug addiction and crime. The program requires volunteer judicial oversight and involvement. The STAR courts are proving to be extraordinarily successful – as the recidivism rate for criminal defendants who successfully complete the rigorous program is only 6 percent compared to 43.5 percent for typical drug offenders. Currently, the STAR courts operate through volunteer judges, lawyers and court staff and are supported by donations. The Houston Bar Association, through a portion of the proceeds from Night Court, has provided $10,000 a year to support the STAR Drug Courts. In time, we need to consider whether county funding of a permanent STAR Drug Court would be money well spent in helping non-violent offenders to end drug addiction and to return to being productive citizens, fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters. We know the costs of perpetual incarceration are high and will only increase. Over time, STAR courts will save taxpayers money. We owe a debt of gratitude to Judges Caprice Cosper, Brock Thomas, Michael Wilkinson and Devon Anderson for their tremendous service and dedication to the STAR program and to Harris County generally. We hope the criminal district judges will continue the legacy of the STAR Drug Courts in the years ahead. In an ideal world, STAR Drug Courts would not be needed, as there would be no drug dependency. Unfortunately, that’s not the real world. But we can work to make judicial intervention less needed. The HBA has instituted several programs to help prevent persons from starting down the path of drug use toward the criminal justice system. “IDEA” (Interprofessional Drug Education Alliance) is a program the HBA started 16 years ago. The program teams a lawyer and a doctor to make presentations to fifth and sixth graders about the legal and medical consequences of drug use. The “idea” of course is to arm kids with information before they are confronted with the choice to begin using drugs. Hopefully, when armed with this knowledge, kids will make the right decisions. We know, however, that some kids will still make the wrong choice. The HBA’s Juvenile Consequences Program presents a monthly program at the Juvenile Justice Center for juveniles, accompanied by parents, who have received deferred adjudication for a misdemeanor offense, often involving minor drug possession. The HBA partners with the Juvenile Probation Department, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, and the Houston Police Department, and each provides a speaker whose goal is to stress the importance of the minor getting out of the criminal justice system and not returning by successfully completing their deferred adjudication. It’s a mild form of the “Scared Straight” program. If you have children, I encourage you to bring them to one of the Juvenile Consequences programs; they will hear a powerful message of the consequences of early bad decisions. Many of us believe strongly in the notion of law and order. That belief is wholly compatible with prevention and compassion. Ben Franklin, as usual, was prescient in his observation that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. One can take a look at our crowded jails and prisons to understand Franklin’s truism and the need for these HBA programs. Let us know if you would like to join the effort.
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