WEB SITE:  www.co.pinellas.fl.us/bcc/juscoord/edrugcourt.htm

            The web site that I chose to research, “The Web of Justice,” was actually just a web page that had many links to other related web pages and not any actual information.  From the Web of Justice’s Drug Court link I chose the link entitled “Drug Courts: Proposed Rule” at the web address www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/GovPubs/DRUGCRT.HTM.  This link, which is also a link of the Schaffer Library of Drug Policy site, describes briefly some of the grant background of drug court and the criteria and suggested rules for the program.

              The first grant program mentioned was in 1994 under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act.  This program gave authority to local governments or programs to define their own set of practices and rules for the drug courts.  However, some requirements needed to be met for the grant.  According to this we page these requirements are no violent offenders in the program, must include a long term plan, explain that there is no other source for funding, list other agencies that offer the same services or ones that will be working with the program and insure that the coordination between agencies is sound, make sure that the participants will be under the supervision of at least one judge, tell how program will be supported after federal support is ended, and describe how the program will be evaluated.  In the evaluation in order to keep funding, positive results must be seen.

             The second act discussed in the article was the Department of Justice Appropriations Act in the Fiscal Year 1995.  This act gave $29 million to the grant programs for three kinds of funding.  The act allowed money for states or local governments planning a drug court, for those starting a drug court program and for those already started to continue.

             The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act and the Department of Justice Appropriations Act were two major act supporting drug courts.  However, these grant program were put in effect five years ago.  The article does not have any recent reports on the subject.

Ellen Evans

10-24-00