The Hamilton County Drug Treatment and Recovery Court is getting $2.7 million in federal grants to provide people facing nonviolent felony charges help for substance abuse issues.
Ohio Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor says such specialty dockets are vital, especially for drug issues. The head of the state's highest court was on hand in Cincinnati Thursday to announce the grant.
"We cannot throw away people," O'Connor said. "Especially when the underlying cause of their criminal behavior is a substance abuse disease. There is treatment available."
Hamilton County's drug treatment docket is unique among the state's roughly 270 specialty courts in the sheer volume of cases it sees. While other drug courts across the state see 150 or 200 cases at any given time, Hamilton County's sees 900. That's not because the county has more drug use, O'Connor says, but simply because of the way the docket is structured.
Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Nicole L. Sanders oversees the docket, which is the state's only full-time drug court. Sanders, who took office about 18 months ago, started her tenure by writing to O'Connor asking for more support for the court. Since that time, docket staff have ramped up grant writing efforts to expand the program.
"This court will be able to provide transportation, transitional housing and purchase a data collection program that will allow us to track and measure our outcomes" with the federal money, Sanders said.
Sanders says 120 people have graduated from the program since its inception.