Rep. Mike Honda: Drug Courts Are Crucial to Criminal Justice Reform

Rep. Mike Honda: Drug Courts Are Crucial to Criminal Justice Reform

"As our country's fiscal crisis forces budget cuts across the board, we are witnessing a renewed interest in criminal justice reform and taking a closer look at the $70 billion spent annually on America's correctional system. State and national leaders are calling for immediate spending reductions and an end to America's costly overreliance on incarceration. Calls for reform intensified recently with the Supreme Court's ruling on the removal of thousands of inmates from California prisons and with this month's 40th anniversary of the War on Drugs.

While there are no quick fixes, there are proven programs that we must expand during this reform effort. One highly successful program is the drug courts -- a solution that saves money, cuts crime and serves veterans in need. Here are four reasons why these courts must be at the center of any criminal justice reform process."