Audit Finds Drug Courts Reduce Recidivism and Save Taxpayers Money

WABE reports: "The 40-page 2010 state audit finds about seven-percent of defendants who participate in a county drug court were convicted again within two years. That's one-fourth the recidivism rate compared to those who served their sentence at a state prison. Expanding drug courts, the Department of Audits and Accounts report shows, could save the state $8 million compared to the cost of incarceration. And that's only if 20% of eligible offenders participated. The problem — only about half Georgia's counties are served by a drug court. In metro Atlanta, Clayton, Douglas, Paulding, and Cherokee counties are among those without drug court access."