South Dakota: Chief Justice David Gilbertson, of the South Dakota Supreme Court, gave his annual state of the judiciary speech to the state's legislators on Jan. 11, 2012. In it, he focused on the benefits of drug and alcohol courts, which substitute treatment programs, supervision, frequent court appearances and drug testing for prison time. South Dakota is behind other states in this area with only a handful of such special programs. There are drug courts in Northern Hills and Black Hills, as well as drunken driving programs in Pierre and Sioux Falls. Gilbertson wants to increase the number of probation supervisors in courts throughout the state to keep up with the dramatic increase of people on probation. He noted that such programs save the state money, as probation costs approximately $3 per day, while prison costs about $64 per day. "This method of dealing with substance abuse felons is an absolute bargain," he explained.[1]
