Pubdate: Thu, 23 Feb 2006
Source: Sun News (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Copyright: 2006 Sun Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/sunnews/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/987
Note: apparent 150 word limit on LTEs
Author: Paul Nelson
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts)

COUNTY DRUG COURT BEGINS TO SEE SUCCESS

Of the original participants admitted to an alternative program to 
help drug users kick the habit, one never showed up to court, another 
was given the boot for breaking the rules and the third left on her own.

Not exactly the smashing success Horry County officials had hoped 
for, but not altogether unexpected, given the addictive nature of 
drugs and the myriad issues that drug court officials said they have 
had to work through since their first hearing Aug. 23.

Recently there have been some promising signs that the six-month-old 
program is beginning to achieve its desired effect of straightening 
out the lives of residents who have either pleaded guilty to or been 
convicted of nonviolent drug-related crimes.

One of the participants has even moved on to the second phase of the 
four-step program, officials said.

Drug courts aim to curb drug and alcohol abuse, which authorities say 
often leads to more serious and sometimes violent criminal 
activities. Horry County officials say the program also will help 
ease an overburdened prison system.

To get into drug court, a person is interviewed by a panel of three 
drug court officials. If they pass muster, they undergo a second 
screening by the drug treatment provider. Then the eight drug court 
staff members - mostly lawyers and law-enforcement personnel - meet 
to decide their fate. Participants are required to attend weekly drug 
court hearings and to be in the program a minimum of year.

So far, referrals are evenly split between defense attorneys, the 
solicitors in the 15th Judicial Circuit office and those in jail who 
write to the office, drug court officials said.

Once a person completes all four phases of the program, they avoid jail time.

New approach, old problem

Nationally, Miami Dade County had the first drug court in 1989. By 
the end of 2004, there were 811 adult drug courts across the country, 
according to the National Drug Court Institute.

In South Carolina, Lexington County led the way with its drug court 
in 1996. Today there are about 20 adult drug courts in the state and 
several counties are exploring the idea, said Judge Chuck Simmons, 
president of the state's drug court association.

He also presides over the Greenville County drug court, which has 
been in existence since November 1998.

"It's the recognition and reality that they are effective and a 
tremendous savings to taxpayers as opposed to incarceration," Simmons 
said. He said it costs the state Department of Corrections about 
$16,000 annually to house a prisoner and an average of $2,500 for a 
participant to complete drug court in South Carolina.

The chance of a drug offender being arrested again, or the chance of 
their recidivism, is around 60 to 70 percent, Simmons said, and the 
figure drops if they graduate from drug court.

"It saves money on the front end to taxpayers, and the recidivism 
rate is significantly lower than someone who doesn't go through the 
program," Simmons said.

Working out the kinks

Drug court officials in Horry County say time, experience and some 
fine-tuning have helped them become more adept at picking out those 
people looking to use the program as a quick way out of jail.

Officials began asking more targeted questions during the two 
prescreening interviews and added the drug counsellor to the 
sessions. Slowly they started seeing better results.

"There is no handbook on drug court screening," said Assistant 15th 
Circuit Solicitor George DeBusk. "You have to learn it by doing it."

Transportation emerged as an overlooked issue. A candidate needs a 
reliable way to get to work if they have a job or to the mandatory 
counseling and support group meetings.

The drug court, which can accommodate 10 clients at a time, is being 
funded from a portion of state fees collected from drug-related 
activities. Officials hope to land some federal grant money in the future.

Sheldon Shepherd, who handles counseling for the program, said the 
group of participants is starting to gel and part of that is because 
treatment has becoming more of a priority.

S.C. success story

A 2002 graduate of the Charleston County Adult Drug Court, Elizabeth 
Lancaster, 46, said she is slowly stitching her life back together 
after years on the streets when she was in and out of jail, raped and 
contracted HIV. She said before starting the program that once she 
got some alcohol in her system, she needed dope, usually crack.

She said the "relentless badgering" of her counselor, who was also a 
preacher, helped instill the confidence and discipline she needed to 
resist returning to her old lifestyle.

"I'd make sure that before I left the house every day that I would 
fill all the bad holes in my body through prayer," she said referring 
to her battles during the program.

Though she has had one relapse, Lancaster today lives in Columbia 
where she attends the University of South Carolina, and she has 
reconciled with her three children.

Horry County officials hope such success stories will become the norm here.

Carson Fox with the National Drug Court Institute said most drug 
courts have proved to be more successful than other types of 
intervention for people hooked on drugs.

"Drug courts, overall ... are tremendously cost-effective and also 
keep addicts out of the system and save a lot of lives," he said.

The keys to a successful drug court are good teamwork, quality 
treatment, holding a candidate accountable and good case management, Fox said.

Judge Deirdre Edmonds, who presides over the weekly drug court 
hearings in Horry County, said she has seen the devastating effect 
drug addiction can have on families.

Assistant Solicitor DeBusk said participants need to do their part if 
they want to see positive results.

"The worst sin that sinks most people is lack of effort," he said.

"If they are trying, we got ways to help them, but if they are not 
trying, that's when they get kicked out."

Edmonds said that just as in life, people in the drug court program 
are held accountable for their actions.

"There will be repercussions if you don't do what you're supposed to 
along the way," she said. "We want this to be a life-changing effect 
on people's lives and help them overcome their addiction."

Sidebar

Drug court requirements

Participant requirements during the four phases of the adult drug 
court in Horry County include:

group treatment drug testing attend weekly court sessions to discuss 
their progress obtain a sponsor get a job establish a curfew identify 
a support network evaluate their lifestyle

Source: Richard Hunt, Horry County drug court evaluator
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom