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Drug Court Saves Camden County, N.J., $4.7 million, Lowers Relapse Rate
Alternative sentencing program to provide rehabilitation to substance abuse offenders
Starting in 1996, Genesis Counseling Center (Collingswood, N.J.) led a coalition of Camden County court system officials and treatment providers that worked to establish New Jersey's first "drug courts" in Camden County.
Drug courts are an alternative sentencing program aimed at treating rather than incarcerating individuals charged with drug-related offenses.
Key Results
- By the summer 2000, 232 adult defendants were enlisted in the program, and 109 adult participants had graduated, including nearly all of the 50 initial participants.
- Crime or drug relapse rate among defendants averaged about 6 percent.
- New Jersey now has seven additional adult drug courts and two adolescent drug courts.
Funding
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) provided two grants totaling $100,000 from September 1996 to July 1999 to support the project.