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March 31, 2011 – In a meeting with actor Martin Sheen, Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson offered his continued support for the nation’s Drug Courts, explaining that Drug Courts save millions of taxpayer dollars in Nebraska, reduce illegal drug use, and dramatically drive down crime.
“Nebraska’s Drug Courts are a success story proven to restore lives and reunite families, while also reducing government spending,” Senator Nelson said. “Drug Courts help addicts break the cycle of drugs and crime to become productive members of society. I’ve met Nebraskans who have completed these programs and see their pride in staying free of drugs for four, five or 10 years – or more. Drug Courts helped them get their lives back together, get honest jobs, and reconcile with their families.
“With a successful track record of holding non-violent offenders accountable for their actions and getting them the help they need to break their addictions, Drug Courts have been the most cost-effective strategy for reducing criminal recidivism. Studies show that every $1 spent on Drug Courts ends up saving as much as $27 on re-arrests, law enforcement, court hearings, prison beds, and the cost to crime victims.”
Sheen is in Washington to help protect federal resources that support state and local Drug Courts. In 2007, he explained that he’s seen someone “near and very dear” to him “self-destructing in the grip of drug and alcohol abuse” and that a Drug Court “saved his life and mine.”
Sheen is participating in a Capitol Hill briefing today titled “Drug Courts: A Proven Budget Solution.”
“Thank you for your leadership as one of the first champions for Drug Courts,” Sheen told Nelson. “Your vision in Nebraska helped prove that this alternative works and made it easier for other states to establish their own Drug Courts.”
As Nebraska’s governor, Nelson supported the creation of Nebraska’s first Drug Court in Omaha in 1997, and he oversaw the expansion of Drug Courts into other parts of the state. Nebraska now has 23 operational drug and problem-solving courts, saving taxpayers millions of dollars each year.
Drug Courts are an alternative to incarceration for some non-violent drug offenders. The defendants serve terms of at least one year under the strict supervision of a Drug Court judge, while they are regularly drug tested and get intensive drug treatment. The judge holds them accountable for their obligations to the court, society, themselves and their families.
Compared to the traditional judicial system, Drug Courts have proven to be less expensive due to a much smaller number of repeat offenders. This improves public safety, saving taxpayers’ money on corrections and reducing the cost to crime victims. As a result of this success in Nebraska over the past 14 years, there is strong bipartisan support for Drug Courts in the state.
In Congress, however, funding for the programs is at risk of being cut.
“There is cutting and there is slashing, and some of my colleagues are holding a machete,” Nelson said. “Nebraska common sense says we should not cut programs that control government spending.”
Pictures of the meeting are available on Senator Ben Nelson's Facebook account
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