Establishes the chief administrator of the courts shall submit annually a report on the Drug Treatment Court Program during the preceding year

1 Co-sponsor

• Antoine M. Thompson

Title of bill

An act to amend the judiciary law, in relation to requiring the chief administrator of the courts to submit an annual report on the Drug Treatment Court Program

Purpose

This legislation would require the chief administrator of the courts to report annually to the legislature and the governor about the function and effectiveness of the Drug Courts Treatment Program.

Summary of provisions

The bill amends section 212 of the judiciary law to require the Chief administrator of the courts to rep0l1 annually to the legislature and the governor about the function and effectiveness of drug courts in the state operating as part of the Drug Courts Treatment Program.

Justification

Drug treatment courts are currently operating in criminal and family courts throughout the state. These courts offer non-violent drug offenders an opportunity to participate in treatment programs as an alternative to incarceration. In many cases, community services organizations provide the required treatment to drug court participants. However, many of these community service providers suffer from a lack of resources and they are generally not able to access funding through the Drug Courts Treatment Program. This bill requires the Office of Court Administration to report to the governor and the legislature regarding the function of the drug courts, including information about the participation level of community service providers. This information will better enable the legislature to determine and realize the necessity of increased funding for the community service providers that play a vital role in the success of the Drug Courts Treatment Program.

Legislative history

New Bill.

Fiscal implications

There may be some administrative costs to the Office of Court Administration.

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.