It definitely was not your usual outcome of a drug arrest. A year later, there stood the defendant, all smiles on the front page of last Thursday's Billings Gazette, a district judge clapping her appreciation in the background.

The young man, 21-year-old Ricky McCoy, was the first graduate of Billings' Adult Misdemeanor Drug Court, a program started in February 2005, with a three-year federal grant. The drug court, the first of its kind in Montana, offers offenders facing up to a year in jail a chance to avoid serving time and wipe their record clean - provided they clean up their lives as well.

According to Municipal Judge Mary Jane Knisely, in the last 12 months McCoy appeared in court 34 times, made 52 visits to his probation officer, underwent 200 urinalyses, attended 151 treatment sessions, performed 40 hours of voluntary community service and went to at least 114 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. When she first saw him, the judge said McCoy "had the attitude of a punk." Now, she said, "That kid has come miles. I can't believe he's the same guy."

It doesn't take an Aesop to find a moral to this story. At a time when Montana's prisons are being filled beyond capacity with drug offenders, at a huge financial and human cost to society, Billings' drug court is a breath of fresh air.

Of course it won't work for everybody. During its first year, the drug court refused to accept 58 people, usually because they had a history of violence. Another 26 were accepted but later dropped out or where kicked out for failing to follow the rules. But success can be spectacular. Enrolling in the program was "one of the smartest things I ever did," McCoy said.

Let's hope funding can be found to spread the concept to all of Montana's cities. It's a big step in the only direction that makes any sense.