On November 28, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced a program to establish drug courts in his state, adding that he would like to see them in every county. Christie is known for his conservative viewpoint on many matters, and has flip-flopped on the topic of medical marijuana, supporting the idea on one hand, but banning the practice of patients growing it or buying it at a medical marijuana dispensary in New Jersey, on the other.
Christie does take a more practical stance on the issue of reentry, however. The cost of incarceration is getting prohibitively expensive in almost every state, a fact that Christie acknowledges. Creating Drug Courts can save taxpayers money, and also help residents who are faced with going to prison for violating New Jersey drug laws. Drug Courts generally work with individuals who are arrested for non-violent drug crimes. Instead of automatically being sent to prison or jail, someone with a drug offense can be given the opportunity to enroll in a substance abuse treatment program, or be given another alternative to incarceration instead of a sentence.
Christie would like to see non-violent drug offenders receive intensive programming. The governor stated that drug rehabilitation programs were “less expensive than warehousing people, and more effective than warehousing people.” Christie’s reentry program proposes to reach inmates before they are released back into the community, by offering them drug rehabilitation, as well as vocational training programs, while they are behind bars.
Christie spoke about the “War on Drugs,” stating, “Those who started the War on Drugs had the best intentions and some success, but we haven’t had the kind of success that we hoped for, or need to.” He further stated that putting people in prison simply for non-violent drug offenses “ makes no sense in the long hall.” Christie’s idea to create statewide Drug Courts and prison programs is seen by some as an effective way to foster a more productive reentry, and reduce recidivism.
|
|
|
|
