WOMEN'S DRUG CRIME RATE TOPS MALES IN STATE

Forty-five percent of women going into the state's prison system have
violated a drug law, a researcher told a special task force on female
incarceration Wednesday. Thirty-two percent of men going into the system
have violated drug laws, said David Wright, director of research for the
Oklahoma Criminal Justice Research Center.

Prison receptions for drug crimes grew from 11.6 percent of total receptions
in 1986 to 37.4 percent in fiscal year 2002, Wright said.

K.C. Moon, director of the Criminal Justice Research Center, said a study
done several years ago showed people who are addicted to drugs commit three
to five times more felonies than those who aren't addicts.

"It's a reflection that drugs tend to break down your desire to follow
rules," Moon said.

Moon and Wright were among those talking to task force members about the
state's drug court program. Some people convicted of drug offenses are
placed in drug court for treatment, which includes counseling.

It is an alternative to imprisonment. Their sentences can be deferred or
delayed while they take part in the drug court program, Wright said.

The task force was created by Senate Bill 810 last session to delve into the
imprisonment rate for women in Oklahoma.

A 2001 report stated Oklahoma ranked No. 1 in the nation in incarceration of
women.

The national average is 58 women per 100,000 women, Moon said.

"In Oklahoma, the number is 130 women per 100,000 women, more than twice the
national rate," Moon said.

Oklahoma has drug courts in 24 counties. Nine other counties are planning to
have them, Moon said.

People sent to drug courts are required to obtain their high school
education, get a job and pass a drug test periodically while they are in the
drug court program.

Oklahoma County Special Judge Charles Hill, who runs the Oklahoma County
drug court, said selling the idea of the drug court to prosecutors and
judges takes time.

"It's probably the best tool we have, not only for saving people, but for
saving money," said Hill, who spent 28 years as an Oklahoma City police
officer.

It's probably one of the finest tools to divert women from prison, Hill
said.

Wright told the task force that drug courts are showing gains regarding
employment and income for people in the drug court program.

Also, these offenders are less likely to be re-arrested, he said.

He said just 18.9 percent of drug court graduates get re-arrested sometime
after completing drug court, compared with 35.1 percent of people placed on
traditional probation.