[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 7645]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       NATIONAL DRUG COURT MONTH

  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 
534 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 534) designating the month of May 
     2008 as ``National Drug Court Month.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution and the preamble be agreed to en bloc, the motions to 
reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc, and any statements relating 
thereto be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 534) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                               S. Res. 534

       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
       Resolved, 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.

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