By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Wood County Common Pleas Judge Matt Reger is accustomed to seeing opiate addicts stumble in their efforts to get clean.
Just last week, he saw a woman in his courtroom with a history of drug and alcohol abuse. She had been given many chances to succeed, but kept sliding back.
She was placed in intervention in lieu of jail. She violated that program. She was put in community corrections. Again she violated. After several attempts to keep her out of jail and on the road to recovery, Reger finally sentenced her to 100 days in jail followed by an inpatient program.
In an effort to offer addicts the best support to kick their habits, Wood County officials are applying for a $500,000 federal grant over four years to establish a drug court specifically designed for addicts.
Drug courts are treatment-based alternatives to prisons, jails and probation. These courts make extensive use of comprehensive supervision, drug testing, treatment services, immediate sanctions, and incentives.
And unlike regular courts, drug courts give addicts much more face time with the person deciding their fate.
“The drug court does have personal interaction with a judge,” Reger said.
The judge is added to the layer of supervision for addicts trying to stop using. And that tends to carry more weight with offenders.
“A judge can say the exact same thing as a probation officer – but when a judge speaks, a light bulb goes off,” Reger said.
The intensive supervision would add visits to the judge, as often as once a week.
But in addition to judges devoting more time to drug cases, the creation of a drug court in Wood County would require the addition of a probationary officer and a caseload manager specifically dedicated to the drug court.
So earlier this week, the federal grant request was explained to the Wood County Commissioners by Belinda Brooks, of the Addiction Response Collaborative in the county prosecutor’s office, and Chris Streidl, interim director at the Wood County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board.
Drug courts are “extremely effective ways to deal with addictions,” Streidl said. “They can be a really useful tool.”
The specialized courts require a “team approach” to recovery. When addicts appear in court they are accompanied by their probation officers and treatment providers. It holds addicts more accountable and offers more support.
“Some people need that,” Streidl said. “It’s not going to work for everybody, but for those that do, it’s such a relief for them and their families.”
If Wood County receives the initial $500,000 grant, other grants are available to continue the drug court operation, Brooks said.
“The governor is very behind drug courts – so this is a great opportunity,” she said.
Drug courts tend to shift from strictly punitive to supportive, Brooks said.
“With drug courts you do have a roomful of people kind of rooting for you,” she said.
“Everybody’s working to make sure they are on a path to succeed,” Streidl said.
Several counties in Ohio already have established drug courts, including Lucas, Fulton and Hancock. According to Reger, Wood County’s would be designed to meet local needs.
“People hear the words drug court and they think it’s a one-size-fits-all, and it’s not,” the judge said. “I think drug courts offer another tool in the tool box.”
