Drug court helps addicts change

(Tulsa-AP) -- Tulsa County officials say their Drug Court program has been so successful they want to create a similar court that would handle drunk driving arrests. <br><br>The Drug Court program offers

Sunday, March 11th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Tulsa-AP) -- Tulsa County officials say their Drug Court program has been so successful they want to create a similar court that would handle drunk driving arrests.

The Drug Court program offers drug offenders an alternative to incarceration. They have 24 months to complete the program, in which they attend counseling sessions and drug rehab.

If they complete the course in time, the charges against them are dismissed. If they fail, they serve their jail sentence.

Assistant public defender Aaron Goodman has been working in the court for two-and-a-half years. Goodman says the program helps people turn their lives around and become sober, law-abiding citizens.

About 40 people are waiting to get into the program, another 31 are on supervised probation in the program and 10 more are on unsupervised probation.