Drug Court helps addicts

The Monroe County Court Drug and Alcohol Program is a non-traditional program that provides individuals with felony drug charges a way to get sober as well as stay out of prison.

The charges are dropped after an individual works his or her way through the two-year program’s several phases.

Drug Court team members said the program is meant to help people whose addictions have turned them into criminals.

“I think there is a general consensus in the law enforcement and probation communities that if it were not for these individuals’ drug addictions, a lot of these crimes wouldn’t be committed,” Drug Court coordinator Steven Malone said.

Drug Court is much more intensive than traditional probation programs. Malone said phase one of the program includes a 10 p.m. curfew, daily drug and alcohol tests and a weekly court date, as well as any other substance abuse treatment directed by the court.

“Traditional probation may not work as well for these individuals,” Malone said. “If they violate probation, it could be weeks or months before going in front of a judge to receive a consequence. Here, if you fail a drug test or are late for a meeting you could go immediately to jail.”

Malone said the program needs to be strict so no one can fake their way through it.
“The structure and the accountability can be overwhelming,” Malone said. “But it’s the structure that gives these individuals the boost they need to turn their lives around.”

Drug Court Probation Supervisor Susan Allen said that the program provides the type of structured environment that drug treatment centers cannot maintain on their own.

“We’ve always referred people to treatment programs,” Allen said. “But we were having some folks falling through the cracks. The program is really a marriage between the court system and the treatment community, and some people need the extra push we provide.”

The court’s disciplinary team, which makes decisions regarding participants’ cases based on information from caseworkers, includes a judge, prosecutor, public defender, detective and addiction expert.

“We work as a team to explore each issue from a number of angles,” said Walt Keller, Drug Court team member and coordinator of IU’s Alcohol Alternative Interventions Program.

The Drug Court continues to evolve as it approaches its 10th birthday.

“In the future, we’d really like to take some of the lessons we’ve learned through Drug Court and apply them in developing other types of problem-solving courts,” Allen said. “I think the development of mental health courts and domestic violence courts is a necessary step.”

For Drug Court team members, the positive effects of the program are apparent.

“It’s the most rewarding job I’ve ever had,” Malone said. “You get to see the transformations people make. You see the difference this program has made in their lives. Each one of our team members cares about each participant and wants to see them be successful, but we’re going to hold them accountable.”