SECOND CHANCES: 21st District Drug Court is giving addiction-suffering criminal offenders another shot at making their best impression on society
by Jay Sheridan

Statistics show that the vast majority of crime is rooted in addiction. Offenders enter jail addicted, leave jail addicted and odds are, they will continue to commit crimes and be incarcerated in a revolving-door manner that costs livelihoods and money. In the 21st Judicial District – which includes Hickman, Lewis, Perry and Williamson counties – a non-profit drug court model has confronted the issue head on, cutting recidivism rates by 60 percent and giving participants a second chance to contribute to society.

“I would estimate that nearly 85 percent of all the cases I see in criminal court are drug-driven,” says Circuit Court Judge Tim Easter. Judge Easter administers the Franklin-based drug court as part of a team of professionals dedicated to addressing addiction through a two-year, intense but non-adversarial program. “We have a wonderful staff who have a true heart for the mission of drug court; and they make it work by encouraging the participants to a better life, free of addiction, dishonesty, and crime.”

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