Hearing - Part 1
 Hearing - Part 2 

Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Public Hearing  on Behavioral Health Treatment Courts

HARRISBURG—Today, the Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Stewart J. Greenleaf (R-12), held an informational public hearing on the role of behavioral health treatment courts in Pennsylvania.  Presenters and witnesses from the criminal justice, law enforcement, and public policy communities presented to the committee information on the operation and benefits of the specially designed courts to sentence non-violent offenders suffering from drug addiction and mental illness to treatment programs opposed to traditional incarceration.   

Senator Greenleaf said, "Today's discussion has shed light on the importance of better managing specific groups of non-violent offenders whose contact with the criminal justice system may be greatly reduced or eliminated through treatment and rehabilitation." 

According to recent estimates, between 70 to 80% of prisoners are addicted to drugs or alcohol and 20 to 25% of inmates suffer from some form of mental illness.   

Pennsylvania currently operates 18 adult drug courts, with more than 1,300 individuals enrolled in treatment programs.  Eleven more courts are in the planning stages.  As well, seven juvenile drug courts are in operation in the Commonwealth.  

Treatment court judges assign carefully screened defendants to counseling, substance- abuse treatment, educational assistance and healthcare support and then closely monitor the progress of each defendant.   

Defendants who successfully complete treatment programs may have their charges dismissed and their records expunged.  Offenders who have completed a drug treatment program are 30% less likely to reoffend.   

Legislation to expand treatment courts and provide funding for their implementation is currently being considered in the Pennsylvania Legislature.   

"If more qualified offenders were assigned to treatment programs as first time offenders, we may transform otherwise life-long criminals into productive and healthy citizens," said Senator Greenleaf.