HR 143 (LSB 6135YH (4) 84)

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 143

BY  GASKILL, HEATON, DE BOEF, DRAKE, GARRETT, FORRISTALL, L. MILLER, RAYHONS, BAUDLER, WATTS, HUSEMAN, CHAMBERS, ALONS, LOFGREN, TJEPKES, ANDERSON, DEYOE, KOESTER, ROGERS, SCHULTE, FRY, SANDS, SODERBERG, COWNIE, GRASSLEY, JORGENSEN, VAN ENGELENHOVEN, RASMUSSEN, HANUSA, DOLECHECK, SWEENEY, HAGENOW, BYRNES, HEIN, J. SMITH, VANDER LINDEN, T. TAYLOR, ABDUL-SAMAD, MASCHER, BERRY, COHOON, LYKAM, WINCKLER, LENSING, WESSEL-KROESCHELL, HUNTER, ISENHART, THEDE, H. MILLER, KEARNS, THOMAS, WITTNEBEN, WOLFE, RUNNING-MARQUARDT, STECKMAN, KAJTAZOVIC, HANSON, HALL, M. SMITH, R. OLSON, KRESSIG, GAINES, KELLEY, JACOBY, T. OLSON, MUHLBAUER, OLDSON, PETERSEN, and MURPHY

A Resolution supporting the use of drug courts in the criminal justice system.

   WHEREAS, drug courts provide a proven budget solution that benefit all facets of society; and
   WHEREAS, drug courts are an essential component of the criminal justice system and save vast criminal justice and human services resources, keep families together, and keep individuals out of jail and engaged in their communities as productive, tax-paying citizens; and
   WHEREAS, drug courts are an effective tool in the human services and criminal justice system for saving money, saving families, reducing crime, and serving veterans; and
   WHEREAS, results of more than 100 program evaluations and at least four meta-analytic studies have yielded definitive evidence that drug courts significantly improve substance-abuse treatment outcomes, promote permanency for children, substantially reduce drug abuse and crime, and do so at less expense than any other strategy; and
   WHEREAS, drug courts facilitate communitywide partnerships, bringing together public safety, human services and public health professionals, and the court system in the fight against drug abuse and criminality; and
   WHEREAS, the drug court movement in the United States has grown from the 12 original drug courts in 1994, to over 2,600 operational drug courts; and
   WHEREAS, there are currently at least 35 adult drug court, juvenile drug court, and family treatment court programs in the state of Iowa; and
   WHEREAS, drug courts demonstrate that when one person rises out of drugs and crime, all persons benefit; and
   WHEREAS, the time has come to put a drug court within reach of every eligible person in need; NOW THEREFORE,

   BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That the House of Representatives declares that the month of May 2012 be established as a Drug Court Month, recognizing the significant contributions drug courts have made toward reducing substance abuse, crime, and recidivism while saving valuable resources.