A program in Cook County to help non-violent offenders with drug or alcohol problems is receiving a federal grant of more than $324,000.
In a news release, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the money to the Cook County Drug Court Treatment Program, which is run by the county's circuit court.
The program that was launched in 1998 is an alternative sentencing approach for non-violent offenders who have been arrested on felony drug possession charges. The offenders accepted into the program are given the chance to participate in a highly structured, closely monitored, treatment-based probation. Duckworth and Durbin say such an approach helps reduce recidivism and thus helps enhance public safety and saves money to the taxpayers.
