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0 <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />Proclamation <br />In Support of Establishing <br />"Drug Court Month" <br />WHEREAS, for the past twenty years Drug Courts have been restoring lives, reuniting <br />families and making communities across this nation safer; and <br />WHEREAS, Drug Courts provide focus and leadership for community-wide partnerships, <br />bringing together public safety and public health professionals in the fight against drug <br />abuse and criminality; and <br />WHEREAS, 60 to 80 percent of drug offenders sentenced to prison and over 40 percent <br />sentenced to probation recidivate, while fewer than 17 percent of Drug Court graduates <br />recidivate; and <br />WHEREAS, results of more than 100 program evaluations and at least four meta-analytic <br />studies have yielded definitive evidence that Drug Courts are demonstratively effective <br />and significantly improve substance-abuse treatment outcomes, substantially reduce drug <br />abuse and crime, and do so at less expense than any other justice strategy; and <br />WHEREAS, over 25,000 judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, substance abuse and <br />rehabilitation professionals, law enforcement and community supervision personnel, <br />researchers and educators, national and community leaders, and others dedicated to Drug <br />Courts and similar types of treatment programs are healing families and communities <br />across the country; and <br />WHEREAS, the Drug Court movement has grown from the 12 original Drug Courts in <br />1994 to 2,301 operational Drug Courts and 3,410 problem solving courts as of December <br />2008; and <br />WHEREAS, Wednesday, May 4, 2009 marks a Judicial District 1 SB Commencement <br />Ceremony for Adult and Family Drug Treatment Courts, which will celebrate the <br />promise of recovery and restored hope to 7 graduates and their families; and <br />WHEREAS, Friday, May 29, 2009 marks the Fourth Annual Uniry Day, which will <br />celebrate the promise of recovery, promote community collaboration, and educate the <br />community on addiction; <br />NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of <br />Commissioners hereby declares that "Drug Court Month" be established for the month of <br />May 2009, recognizing the practitioners and participants who make drug courts work and <br />the significant contributions that Drug Courts have made and continue to make in <br />reducing drug usage and crime. <br />This the 21St day of April 2009. <br />Valerie Foushee, Chair <br />Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />