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