Drug Court Funding Gets Band-aid Until Fiscal Session
by October 11, 2011 7:00 pm 60 views
After a late summer funding shortfall threatened their financial stability, Arkansas’ drug courts may make it until the 2012 fiscal session.
Today, Talk Business has confirmed that $392,676 was released from an account under the purview of the Arkansas Department of Health’s tobacco funds. The money is expected to be transferred to the state’s drug court system, which is facing a $2 million shortfall.
While the amount will not make up the total difference from previous year’s budgets, it is expected to help the drug court system reach the fiscal session where a more reliable funding solution may be found.
The money was "carry forward" money from the smoking cessation program, which had previously been authorized by the Arkansas legislature to help with drug court expenses, according to Matt DeCample, spokesman for Gov. Beebe.
"Drug courts are an important part of finding ways to sanction those who break the law, but hopefully keep them out of the normal inmate system, and it’s a program the Governor continues to support," DeCample said.
State Sen. Bill Pritchard (R-Elkins), a long-time supporter of the drug court, expressed his optimism that the program would make it to next February’s fiscal session.
"I’m very pleased that the Governor has recognized the importance of the drug courts. Hopefully, that funding will help us make it over to the fiscal session where we can find a solution on a more permanent basis," Pritchard said.
He also said legislators and the administration have not settled on any plans at this juncture, but are continuing to search for a long-term resolution to the funding problem.
In August, Talk Business reported that nearly $1.5 million in tobacco settlement money was redirected from the drug court system, and the Arkansas Department of Community Correction (DCC) sliced discretionary funding for the courts to just $500,000 in the current fiscal year. In previous years, drug courts and their stakeholders worked with $2.5 million to $3 million.
The funding cuts threatened the popular and successful drug court programs, which were touted as one significant sentencing solution to free up violent offender bed space in state prisons.
Beebe said publicly that his office was searching for a solution to the revenue cuts.