Pubdate: Wed, 04 May 2005 Source: Journal-Inquirer (CT) Copyright: 2005 Journal-Inquirer Contact: http://www.journalinquirer.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/220 Author: Ethan Fry, Journal Inquirer JUDGE OFFERS ADDICTION SOLUTION My Position Is That There Should Be Drug Stores Set Up by the State of Connecticut" Where Addicts Can Get "Whatever They Need to Sustain Them" on an "Ability-To-Pay Basis." - Superior Court Judge Howard Scheinblum ENFIELD -- In his 15 years as a Superior Court judge, Howard Scheinblum has always been unconventional. The judge -- who once ordered a teen accused of a bicycle theft to write a book report on John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" or he'd raise the teen's bond to $1 million, and who occasionally threatens to play his violin in court if a defendant's excuses get too sappy -- said Tuesday night that the solution to the drug problem facing the nation today is simple: give "maintenance doses" of illegal drugs to addicts so they don't commit crimes to afford them. Scheinblum made that remark in a speech to a crowd of about 200 at Fitzmaurice Hall at St. Bernard Church during the 182nd annual banquet of the Enfield Society for the Detection of Thieves and Robbers, the oldest still-running vigilante organization in the country. Scheinblum, the event's keynote speaker, told the audience that crime is driven by addiction, and if authorities tackle addiction seriously, a significant drop in crime would result. "My position is that there should be drug stores set up by the state of Connecticut" where addicts can go to get "whatever they need to sustain them" on an "ability-to-pay basis," Scheinblum said. "Denmark has tried this and it's very successful." The judge, who estimated 90 percent of the cases in the criminal justice system are somehow drug-related, responded to a member of the crowd who asked about the costs of such a plan by saying the financial burden would fall on the taxpayer, but such a cost would be better than a society crumbling from drug addiction and increasing crime. Addiction-Fueled Crime "In the long run it would be the taxpayer, but in the long run it would be a lot less than we're paying now," Scheinblum said, listing cocaine, crack, heroin, and marijuana as the biggest culprits of addiction-fueled crime. Scheinblum said his educated guess is that these people would not commit crimes if those drugs were available to them. But, he said, if they committed crimes anyway "then that would be addressed." Still, the judge conceded that trying to get such an "unpopular" plan off the ground would most likely be a quixotic foray. "There are too many vested interests," Scheinblum told the crowd. "If there were no more of the crimes committed because the drugs were available, we wouldn't need as many policemen. We wouldn't need as many judges. We wouldn't need as many courts. We wouldn't need as many drug programs. Ad infinitum." The judge's idea to combat drug-fueled crime was just one of several points he made in about a half-hour of remarks. "I've been on the bench 15 years now. I've seen an awful lot, and I've heard an awful lot," he said after being introduced by Supervisory Assistant State's Attorney Christopher Parakilas, whose father, Charles Parakilas, has been a member of the society for almost 60 years and is currently the group's president. Scheinblum said violence is a scourge, and that "young people, especially, no longer care to settle disputes peacefully." "What has happened to ethics?" Scheinblum then asked rhetorically, referencing "former governors," "former heads of the NAACP," and "even baseball players." "I don't know what they're teaching in the schools," he added. "I don't know for sure what parents are imparting to their kids at home, but it's not good." Scheinblum made several points on the question of parenting, and drew a round of applause when he told a member of the audience that if a parent gets arrested for physically disciplining his child he would unilaterally dismiss the case, but added that "the physical reprimand of a child has to be reasonable." Poor Parenting a Problem The judge said poor parenting was part of the problem with increasing crime. "(Parents) feel that there is nothing they can do," Scheinblum said. "They're wrong. Parents have to make their children do things that they wouldn't like to do. I sometimes wonder why people bother bringing children into this world if they can't properly care for them." The Society for the Detection of Thieves and Robbers was established in 1823 to chase horse thieves and other undesirables out of town, but has long since been a "strictly social" organization, according to Anthony Secondo, the society's secretary. Little survives of the society's history, and the last official posse, according to society lore, was mustered in 1926 when a man's horse and buggy were stolen while tethered in front of a store on Prospect Street. The thief got away, but the horse and buggy were said to have been recovered in East Windsor. Records show the society paid its riders a fee of 14 cents per mile for the chases. Secondo, who is also president of the town's historical society, said he was happy with this year's banquet. "I'm pleased at the outcome of it," Secondo said. Secondo estimated the society has more than 1,000 dues-paying members. He added that the non-profit group only uses membership funds to throw the annual banquet. "We cover the cost of the meal and maybe a few other expenses, but we really don't have that many costs," said Secondo, who joined the group in 1993. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake