Pubdate: Wed, 05 Mar 2003
Source: Daily Athenaeum, The (WV Edu)
Copyright: 2003 The Daily Athenaeum
Contact:  http://www.da.wvu.edu/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/763
Author: Lauren Hough

SENTENCING OPTIONS EXPLORED

Judge Martin Gaughan, of the first circuit in Brooke, Ohio, and Hancock 
counties ran into a woman at the local grocery store. "Are you the Day 
Report Center judge?" the woman asked. He answered yes, to which she 
responded, "Thank you for saving my nephew's life." The program that has 
become so important in so many counties throughout West Virginia is one 
made possible by the Community Corrections Act, passed on July 1, 2001. The 
31st Coalition for Justice met last night in the Monongalia County 
Courthouse to discuss the statewide concerns surrounding the topic 
'Restorative Justice Issues Relating to Community Corrections.' In short, 
the act sets forth guidelines for the establishment of sentencing 
alternatives for offenders who may not require full institutional custody, 
since overcrowding of regional jails has become more of a problem. Counties 
within the northern panhandle have started Day Report Centers, at which 
offenders of lesser, non-violent crimes can go for various rehabilitation 
programs. A planning committee in Morgantown has been working for over two 
months, looking at ways similar programs can be implemented into Monongalia 
and its surrounding counties. Community members were able to discuss the 
aspects of community corrections programs with criminal justice officers 
from across the state who were brought together to form a panel of experts. 
This is the first statewide presentation to address communi ty corrections 
and its future in other counties throughout W.Va., said probation project 
assistant Trey Hinrichs. Hinrichs is one of four West Virginia University 
students that have been working over the past two months with event 
coordinator Phyllis Stewart, probation officer for Monongalia county. "We 
wouldn't have been able to do it (the presentation) without them," Stewart 
said, thanking the President David Hardesty and the university for 
implementing the internship. "We've just been trying to set the foundation 
and get the community involved in it (the corrections program)," Hinrichs 
said. If implemented, the community corrections program would eliminate 
those lesser offenders "just sitting in jail" and allow them to be 
rehabilitated and become productive citizens in society, Hinrichs added. 
"We're always looking at another sentencing option," Stewart said. Based on 
funding, she believes a corrections program could be established in one to 
two years.

An advisory board of community members would have to come together to 
determine the level of interest in such a program, she said. Keynote 
speaker James Lee, chief probation officer for the 1st circuit, explained 
the financial aspects of community corrections programs - how much money it 
costs to implement them, and how much it could ultimately save. He added 
that the communities create their own programs based on their specific 
needs, as the act allows a great amount of flexibility and requires 
extensive community involvement. "44 percent of offenders are non-violent 
and cost us money," Lee said. Funds for corrections programs would be 
allocated through fees paid by the offenders.

Among those fees that contribute are probation fees, house arrest fees, and 
court cost fees, said Lee. "No other program allows for community 
involvement like this one does," he added. Rehabilitating non-violent 
offenders in the community has the potential to save the state $37 million 
per year, Lee said. The goals of the day report centers are to give the 
court more options - and to allow them to assess each offender, determine 
the appropriate treatment and then work on their reintegration into the 
community. The assessments available at these centers include random drug 
testing, substance abuse counseling, employment counseling and GED 
education classes. "These people (the offenders) are not losers, they just 
need help to achieve their potential," said Judge Martin Gaughan, of the 
1st circuit Brooke, Ohio, and Hancock counties. "It's hard to see any 
negative aspects to this program," said panelist Marcia Ashdown, 
prosecuting attorney for Monongalia county. "One of the hardest things 
about community corrections programs is getting them organized," said 
panelist Mike aCutlip, deputy director of programs within the Division of 
Criminal Justice Services. "We'll see the program blossom - we just need to 
take the time to educate ... and work with the communities to get programs 
started." Indeed, last night's presentation was the first step in bringing 
these programs closer to the Morgantown community.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart