Pubdate: Mon, 16 Sep 2002
Source: Athens News, The (OH)
Copyright: 2002, Athens News
Contact:  http://www.athensnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1603
Author: Jim Phillips

FIRST LADY APPLAUDS DRUG COURT, BOOS ISSUE 1

The wife of Ohio Gov. Bob Taft was in Athens Friday to offer her 
congratulations to three people who have managed to turn their lives around 
with the help of a local "drug court."

First Lady Hope Taft also used the occasion as an opportunity to inveigh 
against Issue 1, a proposed state constitutional amendment that would 
mandate treatment rather than jail for many first-time drug offenders.

Taft said that if passed by voters in November, Issue 1 "would undermine 
the effectiveness of drug courts in Ohio."

While the ballot issue "is being presented in such a way as to sound real 
good," she said, "it would encourage continued denial and manipulation by 
offenders," by taking away the power of judges to use the threat of jail 
"as a means of making offenders take treatment seriously."

The First Lady went on to contend that Issue 1 is being pushed by "three 
wealthy individuals and their campaign managers," who want to push Ohio "a 
step closer to (drug) legalization."

She called Issue 1 "the constitutional amendment that promises more than it 
can deliver," and told the three local drug court graduates that "you are 
proof that phony reforms are not needed."

Supporters of Issue 1, on the other hand, argue that current approaches to 
fighting drug use in the United States have failed to stem the problem, and 
have crammed prisons to bursting with non-dangerous offenders.

"The war on drugs has failed," argues a statement by supporters of Issue 1, 
provided to the Ohio Secretary of State. "We need new drug laws that focus 
on curing addiction while cracking down on drug dealers... Too many young 
people have had their lives ruined by drug convictions, when what they 
really needed was help. Today in Ohio, THREE OUT OF FOUR people caught with 
small amounts of drugs end up in prison or jail. In jail, their addictions 
just get worse."

Issue 1 supporters deny that treatment under the amendment would be a "free 
ride," noting that courts and treatment personnel will monitor progress 
with drug testing, and that if an offender persists in drug use, a court 
can impose jail.

ELECTION SPEECHES notwithstanding, Friday's event was mainly a celebration 
of three people's personal victories. In the third graduation ceremony of 
the Athens County Municipal Drug Court, Timothy L. Allbery, Bradley S. 
Jahren and Ilene Stobart offered testimony on how the program and its 
staffers helped them conquer substance abuse problems.

"Without them, I know I would have been in jail, and still been in jail, 
because I was facing a lot of time," Allbery said. "I don't like jail, and 
I never want to go back."

Jahren recounted how he began drinking heavily after he was in a car 
accident that cost him the sight in one eye, and then suffered the death of 
his sister. He was arrested for drunk driving, he said, and "with that DUI 
came a lot more things," including loss of his home, family and belongings. 
"When I walked into the (drug court) office, I didn't care," he recalled. 
"I really didn't care."

Like Allbery, however, Jahren said the threat of jail time motivated him to 
get the help he needed. "I don't know one person that likes orange, and I 
don't," he joked. (Local jail inmates wear orange jumpsuits.) Help from the 
drug court included referral to a state agency that has helped him with his 
vision problem. And now that he has graduated from the drug court program, 
Jahren said, he is preparing to go back to school. "I still have a lot of 
things to do, but I can see them now," he said.

Stobart was choked with tears as she thanked the drug court staff and 
Municipal Judge Douglas Bennett for putting her into the program. "If he 
didn't have faith in me, I wouldn't be here," Stobart said of the judge, 
adding that she never would have woken up to her problem "if he hadn't 
slammed me as hard as he did last time (I was in his court)."

Stobart noted that she has always wanted to be in nursing, and now her 
dream is beginning to come true: She has passed the Ohio Department of 
Health examination to become a nurse's aide, and plans to continue her 
training.

"I've got a better life, I've got a wonderful family... and I'm going to go 
as far as the good Lord allows me," she vowed.

Priscilla "Peete" Bowen, drug court co-coordinator, noted that Stobart's 
case demonstrates how in the program "we allow for mistakes, we allow for 
people being human." After Stobart started the program, she said, "one day 
they called and said, 'Well, she's been picked up (by the police) again,'" 
Bowen recalled. But Stobart was allowed to remain in the program, entered 
the Rural Women's Recovery Program, and got through it with flying colors, 
Bowen said.

According to information provided by the drug court, the program accepted 
its first client in January 2001. Since then it has assessed 63 candidates, 
graduated 13, and has 22 currently in the program. Eight more persons are 
currently potential candidates. The program claims to have saved the county 
more than $179,000 in jail costs by keeping clients in treatment rather 
than behind bars.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart