As addiction to heroin and other drugs drives an increase in crime in Pennsylvania, it also drives up the numbers of people behind bars.

Carbon and Schuylkill counties, both dealing with overcrowded jails, are turning to special courts to divert two particular groups of people, veterans and drug addicts, from prison.Carbon County is creating a veterans' treatment court.Judge Joseph J. Matika will preside over the court, which begins in January.The special court is aimed at helping veterans with mental illness and/or drug and alcohol addiction get treatment so they will be able to stay out of jail.Matika will team with representatives from the court administrator's, district attorney's, public defender's and county Veterans Affairs offices to guide veterans through the program.Schuylkill County is gearing up to launch a drug treatment court on Jan. 5.Judge James P. Goodman will preside over the intensive treatment court, which is geared to reducing recidivism by getting addicted offenders clean.The offenders will meet weekly with him and the drug court team, which includes Goodman; a district judge, the district attorney, the chief public defender, a treatment court coordinator, a supervising probation officer, a case manager, a deputy sheriff, an evaluator/researcher, a chief probation officer and a drug and alcohol program administrator.Offenders must plead guilty to be accepted into the drug court.If they successfully complete the program, their charges will be dismissed.If they violate the terms, they may serve a short stint in jail.