Video Transcript
Hello, this is Brian.
As a candidate for district court judge for Kentucky’s 18th judicial district serving Robertson, Pendleton, Nicholas, and Harrison counties, I want to speak from the heart about something that touches nearly every family in our region.
We all know someone who has struggled with addiction. This isn’t a distant problem. It’s a problem right here in our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our churches, and sometimes even in our own homes. When these struggles go untreated.
People just don’t break the law. They break families, they break trust, and they break hope. As your next judge, I believe justice must be firm, fair, and rooted in common sense, but I also believe justice must never lose sight of the human being standing before the bench.
That’s why drug courts matter so deeply here in the 18th District. These programs don’t excuse wrongdoing, they confront it head on. They demand honesty, accountability, treatment, and hard work. But they also offer something our traditional system too often cannot a real chance at change.
Here’s something every taxpayer in our county should know. Drug courts aren’t just compassionate, they’re one of the most fiscally responsible investments we can make.
Across Kentucky, drug court graduates are 3 times less likely to reoffend. That means fewer victims, fewer broken families, fewer children watching a parent disappear into the system again and again.
But let’s talk plainly about what that means for your tax dollars. Incarceration is expensive. We’re talking 10s of thousands of dollars per year per person. Money that comes directly from our county budgets. Money that could be fixing roads, building playgrounds. Or funding our first responders.
Drug courts cost a fraction of that. For every $1 we invest in these programs, we save multiple dollars down the line. We’re not just housing people, we’re turning them into taxpayers instead of tax burdens. We are reducing the strain on our jails, our courts, and our social service system. That’s not just smart policy, that’s fiscal responsibility rooted in both compassion and common sense. I’ve seen what happens when someone gets that second chance. I’ve seen parents reunited with their children. I’ve seen people return to work, pay taxes, rebuild trust, and reclaim their lives.
Those moments remind us that justice isn’t only about punishment, it’s about outcomes. It’s about building safer, stronger, and more fiscally sound communities across our four counties.
As your next district court judge, I will continue to support and strengthen these programs because they work. They protect the public. They save money, and they restore hope in places where hope once felt out of reach. Together we can build a justice system that reflects the very best of the 18th judicial district fair, responsible, and deeply committed to the people we serve.
Thank you for listening.