"The temptation is just too strong to quit. So ... they go to jail." We are talking chemical dependency here. DRUGS. And until recently there was jail, the only alternative. There are 26,000 abusers and only 13,000 places in the Department of Corrections to hold addicts and their suppliers, and there are no plans for new prisons. One supplier affects perhaps 200 people directly, but when you look at the effect of crimes for money, hundreds and even thousands more are affected by that one supplier. And, jail didn't seem an answer.
Judge Robert Wilters has been a judge in Baldwin for sixteen years. He continues, "Jail seemed to be like a turn style, addict in and addict out. People when they are arrested are really down - and that is the time that they are most amenable to intervention to change their chemical-abusing behavior. We developed 'Drug Court' to intervene."
A drug abuser and a dealer may have ten years of incarceration facing him or her with additional fines and penalties to pay. "Drug Court" works with potential jail-time prisoners, but it is selective in who gets into the program. The Drug Court candidate has to have no record of violence or sex crimes in the record. A candidate must have a desire for help and must plead guilty to get into the Drug Court program, a program that requires a two-year commitment. The specific program is coordinated by Courtney Thompson.
The Drug Court Team has an "inpatient" and an "outpatient" component. The Drug Court seeks to move people quickly through the court process and get people into the program post haste. The reason is simple. Wilters notes, "When people are in jail and facing the consequences of their behavior they have hit rock bottom. They are ready for help and they are looking at serious jail time. For our program candidates, they see a judge very quickly, usually within two weeks instead of months and years because of time lag in the common judicial process."
They get into a program, but it has to be when they are at that lowest point. They get a phone number and they must check in with the Team every day--two years worth. They are drug-tested on a random schedule, six to ten times a month. Technically, they are out on bond, and if they fail in the program, it is back to jail! If the Drug Court program is too hard, they can opt out, but then they get routed back to the regular court system and potential real jail time.
Staying in the Drug Court program requires discipline. The rules are clear. Failure to follow the rules results in jail time - 48 hours for a first-time infraction; 96 hours for a second-time infraction; 30 to 90 days for a third-time infraction. The Drug Court is no easy opt out of the court system. "Drug abuse is an 'instant gratification' reward system. To change behavior, there must be instant punishment for infraction--that's the idea," Wilters suggests. "Temptation may be too strong to quit drugs, so they do go to jail. But, this is a treatment-oriented program." That is, the Drug Court Team intervenes in behavior.
There are fees and court costs and attorney fees and required dollars to public funds that are the result of drug abuse brought to the court system. Successful completion of the Drug Court program, however, changes the bottom line for addicts. If a person remains in the program for two years, the case against the person is dismissed. There is no felony record. There are no big fines and fees. There is every chance to live a drug-free life. And there are opportunities to restore families and "get children back."
Folks in the program "are the best 'con artists' around, because they want to be in control," says Wilters. "But we hold them to account--no lying, no absence, no missing scheduled appointments, no using, no controlling behavior." If an enrollee fails on the rules, then comes that mandatory jail time, and the whole program starts over after punishment for that lapse.
"Our success rate is approximately 75%. We have had 112 plead into the program. Sixteen have left the program; seven are AWOL. BUT the rest are making it! We can't fully evaluate this program until the end of the second year of operation, but with 15 months of program under our belts at this time, it looks like Drug Court is working in Baldwin County," Wilters added.
Courtney Thompson, Coordinator of the Drug Court program, notes that "preparation for Drug Court's first annual graduation dinner is underway. If anyone is interested in volunteering and/or donating needed items, they can contact Courtney Thompson at 251-580-2570." Some items that will be needed include decorations, plastic table cloths, plastic silverware, cups, paper dinnerware and napkins, envelopes and stamps for invitations, trash bags, paper products, and Rubbermaid containers to store these products. Any help will be appreciated!
Specific questions regarding Drug Court may be directed to courtney.thompson@alacourt.gov or by calling (251)580-2570.
