It has become clear that unless we address the addiction side of the drug problem in our community, we will continue to experience enormous impacts in healthcare, family dysfunctions, and of course the traditional costs of the criminal justice system.

Mason County Superior Court selected a team of nine people to attend the Federal Drug Court training program. These training requirements were completed in 2002 and the Mason County Drug Court became operational in May 2003.

The Drug Court Planning Team believes that requiring comprehensive chemical dependency treatment, along with strong court-ordered monitoring and supervision, will provide the necessary accountability for offenders, while significantly reducing recidivism.