Bermuda money and harm in the long run, a visiting jurist said this week.

And while the court cannot deal with serious offenders like drug dealers, it is an important building block in the fight against crime.

John T. Parnham of the American University Justice Programs Office shared these thoughts at the weekly luncheon of the Hamilton Rotary Club at Pier Six.

Mr. Parnham said that there were more than 300 drug courts in the United States and no two courts are the same.

However he explained that each court's main aim is to get drug addicts out of the criminal justice system for good.

"We designed the programme in such a way that the system was accountable,'' he said. "And the system in the drug court holds the individual accountable to their choices.

"...for non compliance with the programme there is an immediate response by the court. It may be a jail sentence for a weekend, a week or maybe two weeks depending on what the infraction is.'' Judge Parnham said that such "immediate and meaningful responses'' are important because they teach the principles of cause and effect to each person who goes through the system.

"It is a very unique experience from the judicial perspective to be that involved with the individuals and to see the number of successes that we have had when compared to the traditional court system.'' Intense supervision is also an ingredient necessary for the success of the drug court system Judge Parnham added, because it allows for close monitoring of the subjects.

COURTS CTS