III 110th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 534 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 28, 2008 Mr. Biden (for himself, Mr. Levin, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Casey, and Mr. Johnson) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary May 1, 2008 Committee discharged; considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating the month of May 2008 as National Drug Court Month.

Whereas drug courts provide focus and leadership for community-wide partnerships, bringing together public safety and public health professionals in the fight against drug abuse and criminality; Whereas 60 percent to 80 percent of drug offenders sentenced to prison and over 40 percent sentenced to probation recidivate, and whereas fewer than 17 percent of drug court graduates recidivate; Whereas the results of more than 100 program evaluations and at least 3 experimental studies have yielded evidence that drug courts greatly improve substance abuse treatment outcomes, substantially reduce crime, and produce significant societal benefits; Whereas drug courts transform over 120,000 addicts each year in the adult, juvenile, and family court systems into drug-free, productive citizens; Whereas judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation professionals, law enforcement and community supervision personnel, researchers and educators, national and community leaders, and others dedicated to drug courts and similar types of treatment programs are healing families and communities across the country; and Whereas the drug court movement has grown from the 12 original drug courts in 1994 to over 2,000 operational drug courts as of December 2007: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)designates the month of May 2008 as National Drug Court Month; (2)encourages the people of the United States and interested groups to observe the month with appropriate ceremonies and activities; (3)encourages leaders across the United States to increase the use of drug courts by instituting sustainable drug courts and other treatment-based alternatives to prison in all 3,143 counties in the United States, which serve the vast majority of the highest-need citizens in the justice system; and (4)supports the goal of robustly funding the Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program and other treatment-based alternatives to prison in order to expand these critical criminal justice programs.