DRUG COURT FOR ADULTS SET TO HEAR CASES

YORK - After months of planning and training, York County has started a
drug treatment court that aims to offer addicts an alternative to criminal
court sentencing and to bring them back into the fold of the community. The
screening and reviewing of potential clients for the treatment court for
adult offenders is up and running, with a drug treatment court for
juveniles set for next year, said Tommy Pope, 16th Circuit solicitor. The
program includes a six-day-a-week commitment of random drug testing,
intensive counseling, drug treatment and a weekly court date that monitors
progress.

"This is not a mass volume program, but one that will help addicts become
productive citizens," Pope said. "This is one-on-one."

Drug treatment courts have been instituted in Charleston, Columbia and
Greenville and in other states around the country.

This court is not for drug dealers who make a living preying on others,
Pope said. The program hopes to help addicts who are stealing to buy drugs.

Funding comes mainly from a federal grant, with some state and York County
money helping to pay for the program. The first date of court will come in
October. Rock Hill defense lawyer Derek Chiarenza, a former assistant
solicitor, will serve as the drug treatment court judge, while Circuit
Judge Lee Alford will provide support and technical expertise. Others
within the criminal justice system have attended federally funded training
sessions around the country to see how the program works.

To be considered for the program, a person must be referred by someone
within the justice system, whether it is a private defense lawyer, or
someone from the Public Defender's Office, law enforcement or the
Department of Probation and Parole. To be accepted in the program, a
suspect must plead guilty to a charge, and the sentence will be deferred,
Pope said. If the client completes the program, the plea is withdrawn.
Unsuc-cessful completion means the client reverts back to the regular
prosecution and sentencing of the court system.

"This is not easy and not a slap on the hand," said Janice Gillespie,
director of the new program.

"These people have to be at a point in their life that they are ready to
make a change. It is very intensive."