Zachary Thompson The Excelsior Springs Substance Abuse-Free Environment (SAFE) coalition welcomed Clay County Prosecuting Attorney and Regina Funk, treatment court manager, to discuss the use of treatment courts for those who struggle with addiction and mental health. Drug treatment courts, according to Thompson, consist of three different programs, including drug, mental health and veterans court, aimed at holding an offender accountable while maintaining justice for the victim, as well as determining specific deterrence with the person who committed the crime. “Treatment courts give us a different way to achieve those goals,” Thompson said. “Not everybody needs to go to prison.” Each program is designed for nonviolent offenders and can address various issues while maintaining a set of rules the offender must abide by to stay in the program. The Drug Court program, for example, is court-supervised and consists of the following: • Regular court appearances before the Drug Court…