The Monroe County Drug Treatment Court recently received a national award for its efforts to foster community transformation by reducing drug addiction and crime.

The drug court received the Community Transformation Award Dec. 16 from the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, according to a statement posted on the Indiana Courts' Web site Monday afternoon. The drug court accepted the award on its 10th anniversary.

Since 2007, only 10 of the 2,369 drug courts that now exist nationwide have received the award.

The Drug Treatment Court began as a pilot project in November 1999. The program admits drug- and alcohol-addicted offenders with criminal pasts who aren't charged with dealing illegal substances. More than 350 defendants have been admitted into the program, with 91 current participants.

A 2006 independent study by the Northwest Professional Consortium of Portland, Ore., found the Monroe County drug court reduces recidivism by nearly 70 percent and saves more than $7,000 per participant when compared with the traditional court process.

The NADCP is a nonprofit organization that represents more than 27,000 drug court professionals and provides training and advocacy for drug courts.