Many of Virginia's 14 drug court programs likely will be forced to spend time this year fundraising, taking away resources from drug treatment and counseling.
Last month, the General Assembly cut drug courts from the state budget, in a move that officials said could impact the future of incarceration alternatives.
"It's unfortunate that the government can't see the better savings and ultimate results from drug courts," said Charles Sharp, a Virginia member of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals.
The Charlottesville-Albemarle drug court program provides drug addicts and perpetrators of drug-related crimes with a 12-month program of weekly drug testing, treatment and counseling sessions aimed at ensuring participants are drug-free and employed by the time of graduation.
Thomas von Hemert, criminal justice planner for the Thomas Jefferson area community criminal justice board, contrasted the drug court program to incarceration.
"Drug court costs less, reduces crime and has offenders taking responsibilities and dealing with addictions," von Hemert said.
Although there are no current budget allocations for drug courts, Gov. Mark R. Warner earmarked a certain percentage of Byrne Memorial federal grant funds for drug courts, Sharp said.
In order to secure these grants, individual drug court programs must raise 25 percent matching funds.
The Byrne Memorial grants will provide federal funding for the drug courts over a period of four years. However, each year the percentage of funding will drop until the federal funding ceases altogether and localities are wholly responsible for funding.
Because the grants require increasing levels of matching funds from local drug court programs, they make state obligations local burdens, von Hemert said.
"It's a cheap way of saying [the state] is still funding drug courts when they're not," he said.
As of last week, the Charlottesville-Albemarle drug court program achieved its current matching fund requirement and is now assured of the grant, said Patricia Smith, executive director of Offender Aid and Restoration in Charlottesville, the body responsible for supervising the Charlottesville drug court.
Last year, the Charlottesville drug court established an advisory committee to aid fundraising efforts and has raised contributions from foundations and individual program donors.
Despite Charlottesville success, Tara Kunkel, president of the Virginia drug courts association, expressed concern that fundraising efforts may take valuable resources away from programming.
"The challenge to raise money in private sectors requires a tremendous amount of time," Kunkel said. "The staff has to further extend themselves to fundraise and may not be able to properly administer."
The current economic environment has made it even more difficult for local drug courts to raise private funds.
Statewide, the burden for programs is being shifted to localities and, as a result, there is increased competition for dwindling foundation and private funds, von Hemert said.
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