The leaner drug-court initiative received $500,000 for the first half of 2004, when it will operate as a "drug-intervention docket" within the state court system. Maureen M. Derbacher, a state court-management specialist, said the change could help preserve drug courts by institutionalizing them and making courts for drug offenders less reliant on state and federal funding.

"In my view, Connecticut is leading, not following, because of the bad luck of having de-funded the drug courts," she said.

But Jim Chase of the New Haven Public Defender's Office, said the new initiative lacked the coordination and incentives of the old drug-court system. Saying that the new program does not guarantee that defendants will have their charges dismissed for completing treatment, Chase contends, "They've retained the stick and thrown away the carrot."