SENATE RESOLUTION 67

(By Senators Weld, Maroney, Stollings, Cline, Jeffries, Lindsay, and Romano)

[Introduced March 4, 2020]

Designating March 5, 2020, as Treatment Court Day in West Virginia.

Whereas, The first adult drug court was established in the northern panhandle in 2005, and there currently are 29 adult drug courts serving 46 counties; and 

Whereas, The first juvenile drug court was established in 1999 in Cabell County, ran for six years, and was reestablished in 2007. There are currently 18 juvenile drug courts serving 24 counties; and

Whereas, In 2019, the Legislature reestablished military service member treatment courts; and

Whereas, The first family drug treatment courts were established in Boone, Ohio, and Randolph counties in 2019, and now additional family treatment courts have opened in Roane and Nicholas counties; and 

Whereas, There are have been more than 2,500 treatment court graduates and another 716 West Virginia adults and youths currently participating in the programs; and

Whereas, Treatment courts are now praised as one the most successful justice system interventions in our nation’s history; and

Whereas, Treatment courts significantly improve substance use disorder treatment outcomes, substantially reduce addiction and related crime, and do so at less expense than many other criminal justice strategies; and

Whereas, Treatment courts have been shown to save the state money for every individual who successfully completes the program; and 

Whereas, Circuit judges and family court judges throughout West Virginia devote their time at no additional pay to establish and operate treatment courts, with the help of full-time, dedicated treatment court probation officers; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate:

That the Senate hereby designates March 5, 2020, as Treatment Court Day in West Virginia; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Senate hereby recognizes the considerable contributions of treatment courts to the State of West Virginia; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Senate hereby acknowledges that adult, juvenile, family, and military service member treatment courts save lives, restore families, and are a prudent use of state resources; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.