Something to Cheer About, Indiana

 Loretta Rush, Indiana's Chief Justice, wrote A joyful milestone for the entire community: problem-solving court success (Indiana Capital Chronicle), it should be read by everyone.

Drug court was just starting out as I ended my legal career, and I had no experience of it. The idea seemed a very good idea.

Chief Justice Rush wrote:

Indiana has 140 certified problem-solving courts across 61 counties, operated by 94 judges working alongside prosecutors, attorneys, case managers, and service providers. These courts tackle the underlying causes of criminal behavior — including substance abuse, mental health struggles, and family instability — through a rigorous, evidence-based approach.

Participants commit to intensive services, frequent court appearances, weekly meetings, and drug screenings. Our problem-solving courts are not a shortcut to leniency; they demand accountability and sustained effort. Indeed, success is neither easy nor guaranteed, and graduation can take years. But when participants reach that milestone, the sense of accomplishment and hope is profound. Having attended many problem-solving court graduations myself, I assure you that the overwhelming joy and aspiration is indescribable.

And the effectiveness of these courts is well documented. A 2023 independent study by Temple University found that 93% of our problem-solving court graduates were not rearrested. With more than 250,000 new criminal cases filed in Indiana each year, we count on our judges to make firm, fair sentencing decisions to protect public safety while honoring the constitutional mandate of reform. In 1816, our founders made it clear through the Indiana Constitution — now embedded in Article 1, Section 18 — that our state’s criminal justice system promises reformation, not vindictive justice.

This is a good thing. Prisons are expensive; working to correct the problems that led persons to commit crime is an investment.

Our problem-solving court data shows thousands of graduates and hundreds of thousands of negative drug screens. But the real return on investment is not a number, and it is not quantifiable with a metric—it is the countless lives reclaimed.

Indiana’s problem-solving courts exemplify all that is good in our judicial system; justice tempered with mercy and based on principles of reformation required by the Indiana Constitution. They improve individual outcomes, provide a pathway for children to be safely reunited with their parents, and contribute to safer communities.

Conservatives like portraying themselves as prudent stewards of the taxpayer's money. These problem-solving courts are truly a prudential use of our taxes.

Keep it up, Indiana.

sch 4/21