Drug court target of budget cuts

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The state's budget problems have forced the Boone County Drug Court to look for ways to recover from the suspension of its funding from the state for this fiscal year.

Drug Court Judge Chris Carpenter said she is concerned that the state's Division of Probation and Parole ordered the funds suspended for this fiscal year.

"We had a budget, a certain amount of money budgeted to us and then we were told our money wasn't in our budget anymore," Carpenter said. "Drug Court is cost-effective. To take money away doesn't make sense."

The county's adult drug court had 73 participants until 15 graduated Thursday. It accepted five new participants.

Since the budget directive was issued last month for the fiscal year ending June 30, Carpenter said the drug court may not be able to bring in any more participants.

Anne Wilson, who oversees drug courts for the Office of State Courts Administrator, said she believed that only Boone County was affected by the cut. She said plans were under way to make up the revenue loss but she did not elaborate.

Forty-four drug courts in the state divert juvenile and adult offenders from prison into treatment that can result in dismissal of criminal charges.

The budget cut affected money apportioned to the Department of Corrections Local Sentencing Initiatives program, which includes drug courts. Under directions from Gov. Bob Holden to streamline budgets, the corrections department focused on the $5.1 million sentencing initiatives program.

Corrections spokesman Tim Kniest said $500,000 was cut from the initiatives program, including $289,412 in drug court funds.

Kniest agreed that "Drug Court in the long run saves money.

"The problem is, when you're faced with large cuts in the budget, you have to look at what is available to cut," he said.