Missouri's State of the Judiciary Address in 2011 outlines goals for the future.

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2/ 3/2010: Newspaper Story - The Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court offered pointed criticisms during his State of the Judiciary address Wednesday.

12/13/2010: Radio Story - Missouri Supreme Court Justice William Ray Price pushed for increased funding to drug courts.

Intro:	Missouri's Supreme Court Chief Justice says sentencing fewer people behind bars is a goal to decrease the budget for Missouri this year. Reporting with more on the story, here's Kyle Tons
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Wrap: In the annual State of the Judiciary address, Chief Justice William Ray Price says Missouri prisons are costing the state 12 times more than in 19-82.

Price says one way to help decrease the budget costs is to require nonviolent offenders to receive productive help instead of jailing them.

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Description: Price: "Our real goal for nonviolent offenders is to teach them their lesson so they can become productive law abiding members of our society."

He says fifty-two percent of nonviolent offenders are sent back to jail within three years of their release.

He says by decreasing the amount of nonviolent offenders sentenced should help relax costs.

Reporting from Jefferson City, I'm Kyle Tons.

Intro:	Missour's Supreme Court Chief Justice updated Missouri lawmakers about the state's judiciary. Kyle Tons has more on the story.
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Wrap: Chief Justice William Ray Price mentioned the progress of developing drug and veteran courts during his annual State of the Judiciary address.

Price says lawmakers helped with expanding drug and veterans courts across Missouri, but they're still underfunded.

Veterans courts are one the pilot programs needed to be developed.

Price mentions how some veterans will benefit and what kind actions force the need for such courts.

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Description: Price: "Veterans court focuses on returning veterans whose psychological scars from service lead them to drugs and trouble and sometimes violence when they get home."

Price mentions one drug court in Saint Louis has already got 12 participants and other counties may target 20 to 25 veterans.

From Jefferson City, I'm Kyle Tons.

Intro:	The Missouri Supreme Court Justice delivered his annual State of the Judiciary address today. Many of the issues returned as topics from last year's speech. Kyle Tons has more on the story.
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Wrap: Chief William Ray Price repeated the topics of Missouri's financial struggles and the strategies in dealing with nonviolent criminals.

Last year, Price decided there was a change that could be made about the overwhelming number of nonviolent criminals in state prisons.

Forty-four-point-six-percent of nonviolent offenders return to prison within two years of release.

This year in response, he says those that those that return should not go to jail, but should get professional help because it is expensive.

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Description: Price: "But for many of the 14,700 nonviolent offenders, this prison-based strategy is not working and it is costing us an arm and a leg."

From Jefferson City, I'm Kyle Tons