April 12, 2018. Our program featured Judge Craig Dally who is in his ninth year serving on the Court of Common Pleas. His presentation featured an overview of the 3 year-old Northampton County Drug Court. The Court was founded, in part, thanks to a grant from the Two Rivers Health and Wellness Foundation. This venture is considered a problem-solving court. The idea is to use existing resources to divert a select group of repeat offenders into a treatment-driven course of action rather than incarceration. The people selected for this course are considered to be high risk/high need and they undergo 5 phases of the program. Each phase is progressively difficult. Each new phase includes longer periods of sobriety, random drug testing, community service, and personal essays. Participants benefit from treatment plans, housing assistance, and employment assistance. Graduation from the program does not erase their criminal record and in no way releases them from their obligation to pay court costs and fines. Eligibility for the program is limited. Barriers to admission include murder, sex offences, out of county offences, violent crimes, and drug dealers. Results from similar programs show a drastic reduction in recidivism when compared to incarceration. The costs associated are also for lower than traditional punishment.
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