Pubdate: Thu, 04 Aug 2005
Source: Wakefield Observer (MA)
Copyright: 2005 Community Newspaper Company
Contact:  http://www2.townonline.com/wakefield/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3791
Author: David Archer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)

DRUG COURT OFFERS ALTERNATIVE ROAD TO RECOVERY

"Don't Volunteer If You Don't Think You Can Succeed."

This is the advise of first justice Honorable Lee G. Johnson of Malden 
District Court, in regards to the year and a half-old District Drug Court. 
The drug court was set up in April 2004 by Judge Johnson and his staff, 
with the assistance of other community groups including Wakefield police.

The drug court is a minimum 12-month program broken into four phases, 
designed to address the issue of substance abuse and rehabilitate addicts. 
It is geared toward individuals who have already been sentenced for a crime 
and would - without Drug Court - go to jail.

The court does not stereotype a person for age as a prerequisite, nor does 
the individual have to be a first-time offender.

"We have 24 or 25 people in drug court at this time," said Johnson. "Their 
ages range between 18 and upper 40s, with no certain age making up the 
majority."

The only requirements a person must meet to be eligible for drug court are 
that he or she must be an adult with a severe addiction to drugs or 
alcohol, they must be post-disposition and they cannot be involved in a 
violent crime, or be dealing drugs. With these conditions met, participants 
are then required to sign a contract which ensures their complete 
commitment to the program.

Meeting the drug team

In phase 1, participants are required to meet once a week, from 11 a.m. to 
1 p.m., with the Drug Team. The Drug Team consists of 13 or 14 volunteers, 
who can include Judge Johnson, court clerks, court officers, parole 
officers, district attorneys, defense attorneys and other community 
liaisons - sometimes even a member of a mayor's office.

During each meeting, the Drug Team speaks collectively about the compliance 
of the individual and their progress, or the failure to comply to the 
requirements, and what sanctions must be imposed upon them. Also discussed 
is the matter of whether or not the participant is working, and living in a 
safe environment.

"It's important to know if participants are working and going to their 
meetings, because it keeps them busy," said Johnson. "The less free time 
they have, the less time they have to think about their cravings."

In addition to the meetings, individuals must attend at least five 
Alcoholics Anonymous and/or Narcotics Anonymous meetings every week. 
Participants in the Drug Court must perform scheduled and random drug tests 
- - usually a urine test, though some are blood tests. They must attend a 
counseling session every week if that is in their contract, be it drug, 
alcohol, psychological or otherwise.

Inside the Malden Courthouse, AA meetings are offered once a week in the 
morning, before drug court is scheduled. Attending this meeting counts 
toward the individual's AA requirement.

"It is something unique to our program," said Johnson.

The phases start out intensely, and decline slightly after each is 
completed, assuming the individual is making progress.

In phase 2, participants are required to attend court meetings only every 
other week. The drug testing, AA and NA meeting and counseling meeting 
requirements, however, are not lessened during this phase.

The next two subsequent stages maintain most of the commitments, though 
court meetings are decreased again, to once every three weeks.

In the third phase, some of the responsibility wanes slightly, though 
Johnson said that there is no easy part to the program.

"We have had people that have gotten all the way to phase 3, and had to go 
all the way back to phase 1 again because of a relapse, but they want to 
stay in the program," he said.

Failure to comply with the requirements of any phase will result in a court 
sanction. The sanctions can range from community service to detoxification 
to a week in jail. Depending on the number of times a participant falters, 
he or she may be sent to prison for a full sentence.

"Part of the recovery process is relapsing," said Johnson. "The temptation 
is always there for addicts, it's what they revolve their lives around."

Johnson makes it clear the Drug Team understands the work and commitment it 
takes to get through the program - Drug Court is designed to be difficult, 
so people will be able to overcome their addictions. Understanding that it 
is not an easy task, and failure to meet requirements still cannot go 
unpunished.

"Often times a failure will mean starting over again at phase 1, still 
requiring a full year's worth of compliance from there on out. We are more 
familiar now, that they are going to have relapses, but we do not want them 
committing crimes," he said.

The most common substances being abused are cocaine, heroin, and OxyContin.

"I've never seen anything like OxyContin," said Wakefield Police Prosecutor 
Robert Ross. "I've seen every kind of drug abuse case, and OCs far surpass 
everything else."

Johnson said it is hard to determine how much of the drug problem comes 
from which community in the court's jurisdiction, which includes Wakefield, 
Melrose, Malden, and Everett.

"If I see any drugs coming in from specific areas, it's one too many," said 
Johnson. "It is becoming an epidemic."

Johnson, like many law professionals, says drug addiction feeds into other 
criminal activity, because it's a way for addicts to pay for their drugs.

Keeping the program running

Although the drug court has been recognized and approved by the Department 
of Justice, it does not receive federal funding. The court runs in a large 
part on a volunteer basis. Towns and cities within the jurisdiction help 
out, but Judge Johnson hopes to submit a proposal requesting state and 
federal funding as the program progresses.

"The drug court is going well because it is still in existence," said 
Johnson. "People are still involved, trying to get better; people still 
want to beat their problems. In this sense, it is a success. The only 
problem will be if we don't have enough funding to keep running."

In terms of how high the success rate is, it's too early to tell. Because 
the program has only been running for a little over a year, no one has 
completed the full program yet. Johnson said that there are plenty of 
people in phase 3 who appear to be approaching the final phase 4, but as 
far as numbers go, more time will be necessary to understand percentages.

"People try to feel you out at first, see how easily they can slip past the 
Drug Team without fully complying to all the requirements," said Johnson.

Some people may never make it to full rehabilitation. But many people, over 
time, begin to open up to the judge and his team and sincerely try to beat 
their addiction.

"After two phases, when you look at them and can compliment them, the 
expression on their faces is as if they're thinking, 'he's proud of me'," 
he said.

For moments like those, Johnson is proud also, of the visible effect that 
the drug court has on those individuals who really want to succeed.

"If we have one person who gets through the program and can abstain from 
abusing drugs, we have a success," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom