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Girard Recovery Court gives addicts another chance at life
Recovery Court gives addicts another
By Sarah Lehr
GIRARD
Cassandra, a 29-year-old Girard resident, says she can’t imagine what her life would be like without a drug-recovery program through Girard Municipal Court.
Then, she takes a moment to consider and decides she can imagine where she’d be – either dead or in jail.
Girard Municipal Court recently received initial certification from the Ohio Supreme Court to operate a program designed to rehabilitate nonviolent drug offenders. Most drug courts – such as those operated by Mahoning and Trumbull counties – offer programs for those facing felony drug charges.
Girard Municipal Court’s program is somewhat unusual because it deals with misdemeanor sentences.
Judge Jeffrey Adler said he’s encountered some skepticism about the viability of a misdemeanor drug court.
“You don’t have that time hanging over their heads,” Adler said of people facing misdemeanor sentences. “Actually, I think that works better because you have people who actually want to be there.”
To be eligible for Girard’s drug-court program, the purported offender must be nonviolent. Certain charges, including operating a
vehicle under the influence and corrupting a minor with drugs also disqualify someone from participating in drug court.
If someone chooses to participate in drug court, he or she must read and sign a lengthy participant handbook which outlines sanctions, such as 15 days in the county jail, for violations of the rules. A violation could be failing a drug test or failing to show up for support group or community service.
The handbook also makes it clear that participation in drug court is a privilege, not a right.
At the first appearance in recovery court, the participant pleads guilty. The judge takes that guilty plea under advisement and defers sentencing.
Not everyone is an ideal candidate for drug court, Judge Adler said. It’s an arduous process, and isn’t feasible for someone who’s just trying to get out of jail time and isn’t ready to make major lifestyle changes, he said.
Girard Municipal Court launched a pilot version of its recovery court in March 2015. It received its initial certification from the Ohio Supreme Court this month.
The program has a maximum capacity of 25 participants. Twelve people currently are enrolled.
Graduation from the three-phase program generally takes at least a year and requires community service, regular attendance of support meetings such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous and completion of a GED. Eventually, the program will include an alumni support group.
Since the launch of the pilot program, one participant has graduated. Three have dropped out, and one participant overdosed.
Probation Officer Keith Gunther says addiction is a complex issue, which means treatment must consider both physical and psychological factors.
“These people are people, and they have a disease” Gunther said. “A lot of people just want to throw the drug addicts away, and that’s not the way to deal with it. You gotta love ’em. You gotta be harsh on them at times, but you gotta reel them back in and love them some more. A lot of people don’t like the touchy-feely side of drug court, but there has to be some love involved.”
Judge Adler agreed with Gunther’s assessment of the ineffectiveness of arresting away the drug-addiction problem.
“Some people are criminals, and you can’t cure them of committing crimes,” Judge Adler said. “Most of the people who are in our drug court, they became an addict first and a criminal later.”
He says he’s noticed a sea change in the public’s attitude toward addiction – a change he attributes to the pervasiveness of the Valley’s opioid scourge.
“This heroin epidemic is getting so big that you can hardly run into anyone now where it doesn’t affect someone in their family, one of their friends – somebody,” Judge Adler said.