PROCLAMATION

Drug Court Month
May 2016

WHEREAS, the NMI Judiciary and the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands have recently established drug courts programs; and

WHEREAS, drug courts, through collaboration between prosecutors, defenders, treatment providers, and the judiciary, offer a creative blend of treatment and sanction alternatives to effectively address offender behavior, rehabilitation, and the safety of our community; and

WHEREAS, drug courts and other treatment courts have served over 1.4 million individuals across the nation; and

WHEREAS, they are now recognized as the most successful criminal justice intervention in our nation's history; and

WHEREAS, they save up to $27 for every $1 invested and up to $13,000 for every individual they serve; and

WHEREAS, 75% of treatment court graduates will never see another pair of handcuffs; and

WHEREAS, treatment courts significantly improve substance‐abuse treatment outcomes, substantially reduce substance abuse and crime, and do so at less expense than any other criminal justice strategy; and

WHEREAS, treatment courts facilitate community‐wide partnerships, bringing together public safety and public health professionals in the fight against substance abuse and criminality; and

WHEREAS, there are now 2,966 drug courts and other treatment courts nationwide; and

WHEREAS, drug courts and other treatment courts are the cornerstone of criminal justice reform sweeping the nation; and

WHEREAS, treatment courts demonstrate that when one person rises out of substance use and crime, we all rise; and

WHEREAS, the time has come to put a treatment court within reach of every eligible person in need.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT I, RALPH DLG. TORRES, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Laws of the Commonwealth as Governor, hereby proclaim May 2016 as DRUG COURT MONTH here in the Commonwealth.