New Philadelphia, Ohio (WJER) - New Philadelphia Municipal Court officials are reviewing their work and efficiency from 2018. 

Court administrator Judee Dzigiel says the 2018 court report has been released, showing the court handled over 14,100 cases, up from 13,800 in 2017. She says their municipal recovery court also saw continued success through the Vivitrol program and recovery classes to help people fight addiction.
 
“We do see the drug courts being successful, and the reason they’re successful is they are so personalized and arduous for the defendants to get through,” she says.  “It’s not boot camp as much as it’s the court helping them progress to meet their goals.”
 
Meanwhile, Dzigiel says they are carrying over a watchful eye from 2018 into this year as the Ohio legislature crafts laws regarding felony drug charges.
 
“The constitutional amendment to reduce drug court crimes would have sent a floodgate of cases to our court because they would no longer be felonies,” she says. “There is current legislation in the Ohio legislature now which may do some of the same things.”
 
Dzigiel says if the legislature would pass any laws reducing drug crimes, the courts will have to consider fee increases in order to cover the additional caseload. She says in 2018, New Philadelphia Municipal Court collected nearly $1.2-millionin local fees and fines.  

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