[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 27 (Thursday, February 13, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2473-S2474]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CAMPBELL:
  S. 399. A bill to authorize grants for the establishment of quasi-
judicial campus drug courts at colleges and universities modeled after 
State drug courts programs; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. CAMPBELL. Madam President, today I introduce the ``Campus 
Classmate Offenders in Rehabilitation and Treatment Act of 2003.''
  The legislation I am introducing today is based on legislation I 
previously introduced toward the end of the 107th Congress.
  The Campus Classmate Offenders in Rehabilitation and Treatment Act, 
which can also be referred to as the ``Campus CORT Act,'' directs the 
Department of Justice to establish a demonstration program to provide 
grants and training to help our Nation's universities and colleges 
establish new quasi-judicial systems. These systems aim at countering 
the serious drug and substance abuse related problems that are taking 
such a heavy toll on our institutions of higher learning and the 
students who attend them. The demonstration program, which would be 
administered by the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, 
would be based on the valuable lessons and successes we have garnered 
from our Nation's innovative and expanding drug court system.
  Specifically, this demonstration program legislation would authorize 
the establishment of up to five Campus CORTs each year for Fiscal Years 
2004 through 2007. The bill authorizes the Office of Justice Programs 
to provide $2,000,000 in Federal funding during each of those years to 
help get five Campus CORTs well trained, soundly established and up and 
running. This new program's approach should be similar to how the 
Office of Justice Programs currently runs the ongoing drug court grant-
making program, including providing an Internet-based application 
process.
  There are plenty of good reasons to take the next step and establish 
a Campus CORTs program based on the drug court model. Since they first 
appeared in 1989, drug courts have rapidly spread all across the 
Nation. Rather than simply locking-up nonviolent drug offenders in 
prison along side violent criminals, drug courts provide the 
alternative of court-supervised treatment. Instead of simply punishing, 
drug courts help get people clean.
  Drug courts' many successes are underscored both by the bipartisan 
support they have received in Congress and by the Bush Administration. 
For example, during a national conference hosted this last April by the 
National Association of Drug Court Professionals, both Office of 
National Drug Control Policy Director John Walters, our Nation's ``Drug 
Czar,'' and Drug Enforcement Agency Director Asa Hutchinson gave 
speeches in support of drug courts and the benefits they provide.
  According to the latest statistics as reported by the Department of 
Justice's Office of Justice Programs, as of November 2002, 946 Drug 
Courts are operating all across the United States. This is an 
impressive increase of approximately 250 Drug Courts over the past 
year. This 946 Drug Courts includes 547 Adult Drug Courts, 245 Juvenile 
Drug Courts, 59 Family Drug Courts and 14 Combination Courts. Over 400 
additional new Drug Courts are in the planning process.
  The report goes on to state that approximately 300,000 adults and 
12,000 juveniles have been enrolled in the drug court system to date. 
Of those participants, 73,000 adults and 4,500 juveniles have 
successfully graduated from Drug Courts.
  The merits of the drug court system are well documented. Nationwide, 
drug courts have been instrumental in enabling more than 1,000 children 
to be born drug free, more than 3,500 parents to regain custody of 
their children, and 4,500 parents to resume making their child-support 
payments. The retention rate is over 70 percent with 73 percent of the 
participants managing to keep their jobs or successfully find new work. 
These are encouraging statistics, and not just for the individuals 
involved, but for society as a whole.
  While it is not as easy to measure, we know that Drug Courts play a 
beneficial role in reducing criminal behavior since so much crime these 
days is drug related.
  Drug Courts also help save up money. It is estimated that every 
dollar spent on Drug Courts saves our country and communities 
approximately ten dollars in reduced prison and other criminal justice 
costs.
  These are the kind of successes we should be able to see once the 
drug court model is customized and applied through Campus CORTs as we 
work together to respond to the alcohol, drug and other substance abuse 
challenges facing our Nation's colleges and universities.
  Just as drugs are deeply interconnected with crime on our streets, 
drugs and serious substance abuse are also interconnected with much of 
the academic failure that damages so many of our Nation's institutions 
of higher learning and their aspiring students seeking college degrees.
  Our Nation's drug courts use a carrot and stick approach where 
offenders can either live at home and remain free to work under court 
supervised treatment or face the very real threat of hard jail time. 
Similarly, Campus CORTs will give troubled students the chance to get 
supervised treatment and stay clean or get kicked out of school and 
watch their futures get squandered away.
  Instead of simply booting students with substance abuse problems 
directly out of school, as is currently happening at many universities 
and colleges all across the country, I believe we should instead help 
provide institutions of higher learning with new tools they can use to 
help students get and stay clean. Of course, just like it is with the 
existing drug courts, there will be some students who simply do not 
respond to Campus CORTs. While those students will have to face the 
fact that they may well be expelled from school, at least we will have 
been able to give them the opportunity to clean-up their act.

[[Page S2474]]

  Since the new Campus CORTs would be established at colleges and 
universities, the legislation calls on the Office of Justice Programs, 
or OJP, to establish new ``quasi-judicial standards and procedures for 
disciplinary cases'' for institutions of higher learning that wish to 
participate in the new Federal program.
  Today, I am pleased to highlight that one of the leading institutions 
of higher learning in my home State, Colorado State University, CSU, 
has already broken new ground as the Nation's first university to apply 
the drug court concept in a campus setting. The ``Day IV'' program, as 
it is known at CSU, has racked-up a successful record in helping keep 
students clean and in school.
  Our Drug Court system is making a difference all across our Nation. 
In fact, a 2002 report issued by Columbia University's prestigious 
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse states that ``Drug 
Courts provide closer, more comprehensive supervision and much more 
frequent drug testing and monitoring during the program, than other 
forms of community supervision.'' The report underscores that ``drug 
use and criminal behavior are substantially reduced while offenders are 
participating in drug court'' and that ``criminal behavior is lower 
after participation, especially for graduates.''
  Our Nation's Drug Court system is a good example of a viable and 
productive partnership between the Federal Government our State 
governments and local jurisdictions. Their collaboration is making a 
positive impact all across our country. I want to take this moment to 
thank the people of the OJP, the experts at the National Association of 
Drug Court Professionals and the state and local judges, prosecutors, 
law enforcement officers and other officials who have done so much to 
establish, build upon and continually improve our Nation's drug court 
system.
  I also want to take a moment to thank Judge Karen Freeman Wilson, 
Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Drug Court 
Professionals for her letter of support for the Campus CORT legislation 
I am introducing today. It is appreciated.
  I ask unanimous consent that the letter of support and the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                           National Association of


                                     Drug Court Professionals,

                                 Alexandria, VA, January 15, 2003.
     Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell,
     Russell Senate Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Campbell: As the representative of the 
     National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) and 
     of drug court professionals throughout the country, I am 
     writing this letter of support for the Campus Classmate 
     Offenders in Rehabilitation and Treatment (CORT) Act'' which 
     I understand you will be introducing in the Senate in the 
     near future. Not only are campus drug courts a natural 
     progression of the traditional drug court system which has 
     proliferated successfully throughout the country for more 
     than a decade, but they also will serve as yet another 
     mechanism to reduce drug abuse and its concomitant crime.
       Drug court professionals throughout the country truly 
     appreciate your tenacious support and are eager to work 
     collectively with you and other legislators to ensure that 
     substance-abusing students are reached early and do not 
     continuously cycle through the revolving door of the criminal 
     justice system.
       Because of your in depth knowledge of the substance abuse 
     and its concomitant crime, you are already aware that drug 
     and alcohol abuse is not limited to a specific age, gender or 
     race. However, according to the 2001 National Household 
     Survey on Drug Abuse, approximately 15.9 million Americans 
     aged 12 or older were current users of an illicit drug in 
     2001, representing 7.1% of the population. The highest rate 
     of use was found among young adults (ages 18-25) with 18.8% 
     reporting current use and among youth (ages 12-17) with 
     10.8%. Current use of any illicit drug in the population aged 
     12 and older increased significantly from 6.3% in 2000 to 
     7.1% in 2001. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
     Administration reported an equally alarming statistic in its 
     fact sheet entitled ``Consequences of Underage Alcohol Use'' 
     as it stated in 1998, there were 8,844 arrests for drug law 
     violations on 487 college campuses.
       Unfortunately, the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug 
     Abuse and other studies clearly indicate that the need still 
     exists to invest more attention to the rising problem of drug 
     abuse, specifically on college campuses, throughout the 
     country. Drug courts have already proven that an early 
     investment in treatment obviates the need for repeated 
     investments in incarceration and allow previously addicted 
     offenders to lead healthy, productive lives within their 
     communities. Campus drug courts are the natural extension of 
     drug courts and will combat campus drug and alcohol abuse 
     head on, thereby preventing accidents and crimes at colleges 
     and universities throughout the nation.
       Thank you once again for you stanch support of the drug 
     court field and for introducing the ``Campus CORT Act.'' I 
     look forward to providing support to this and similar 
     legislation and to working with you and your staff in the 
     future.
           Very truly yours,
                                Judge Karen Freeman-Wilson (ret.),
     Chief Executive Officer.
                                  ____


                                 S. 399

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Campus Classmate Offenders 
     in Rehabilitation and Treatment Act'' or the ``Campus CORT 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF CAMPUS DRUG COURTS.

       (a) In General.--The Attorney General, acting through the 
     Office of Justice Programs, is authorized to make 
     demonstration grants to accredited universities and colleges 
     to establish not to exceed 5 campus classmate offenders in 
     rehabilitation and treatment programs (referred to as 
     ``Campus CORTS'') each fiscal year modeled after the 
     statewide local drug court programs throughout the United 
     States.
       (b) Campus CORTS.--Campus CORTS shall--
       (1) be established at accredited colleges or universities;
       (2) have jurisdiction over substance abuse related 
     disciplinary cases involving students that may or may not be 
     criminal in nature, including illegal drug use, abuse of 
     prescription drugs, alcohol abuse, and other issues, but no 
     student who is deemed to be a danger to the community may be 
     involved;
       (3) pursuant to regulations promulgated by the Attorney 
     General, establish appropriate quasi-judicial standards and 
     procedures for disciplinary cases; and
       (4) impose as the ultimate sanction expulsion from school.
       (c) Consultation.--The Attorney General shall consult with 
     the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, d.b.a., 
     the National Drug Court Institute, universities and colleges, 
     including the Campus Drug Court program at Colorado State 
     University, and other experts in establishing quasi-judicial 
     standards required by this Act.
       (d) Assistance.--The Attorney General shall make grants to 
     qualified universities and colleges, the National Association 
     of Drug Court Professionals, d.b.a., the National Drug Court 
     Institute, and other associations and experts to assist in 
     establishing campus drug courts and provide training and 
     technical assistance in support of the program.
       (e) Grant Making Considerations.--In awarding grants to 
     qualified colleges or universities, the Office of Justice 
     Programs should--
       (1) endeavor to include colleges and universities of 
     different sizes across the United States; and
       (2) enable colleges and universities to apply for grants 
     through the Internet site of the Office of Justice Programs.

     SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 for each 
     of the fiscal years 2004 through 2007 to carry out this Act.
                                 ______