Drug Courts Yet To Dent Oklahoma Prison Population Rise

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The Oklahoma Sentencing Commission is being told that drug courts are not yet reducing the prison population in the state.<br/><br/>The courts send drug abusers into treatment programs

Thursday, September 28th 2006, 2:40 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The Oklahoma Sentencing Commission is being told that drug courts are not yet reducing the prison population in the state.

The courts send drug abusers into treatment programs and have been praised by both defense attorneys and prosecutors.

But KC Moon of the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resources Center told the Sentencing Commission Thursday that the courts haven't made a dent in the number of inmates being sent to prison.

Moon says the state had 24,377 inmates at the start of the fiscal year July first and is expected to have 25,685 at the end of the current fiscal year next June 30th.