DRUG COURT GRADUATES GET A NEW LEASE ON LIVING

In a Blount County courtroom packed with onlookers last week, a judge
described in detail exactly what five people in the room had done to make
themselves the focus of attention.

``Hundreds of hours of treatment, two to three drug screens a week,
community service. Oh, I forgot coming to court,'' said Blount County
Circuit Court Judge D. Kelly Thomas Jr. ``I'm sure that has been so pleasant.

``They've accomplished so much and taken back control of their lives. The
significance of that can't be overstated.''

The occasion was the Blount County Drug Court program's second official
graduation ceremony, where a sixth graduate was honored posthumously.

Kenneth Boling, 34, finished the program but died two weeks before
Thursday's graduation. His mother, Arvenia Boling, received the certificate
noting her son's success.

``It was a goal he set, and he did reach it,'' she said tearfully after the
ceremony. ``He liked coming here, and he put everything he had into it
because it meant a lot to him. He really wanted this.

``He was proud of how long he had been clean,'' added Daryl Boling, Kenneth
Boling's brother.

Treatment, counseling

The first Drug Court graduation was in November 2000. The program took in
its first clients in January 1999. It was organized by a team including
Thomas, program coordinator Theresa Irwin, Blount County District Attorney
General Mike Flynn and his staff, District Public Defender Mack Garner and
Anna Shugart, director of the Blount Memorial Hospital Emotional Health and
Recovery Center.

Shugart's staff at Blount Memorial has provided treatment and counseling to
participants, who have been charged with criminal drug offenses.

Those recommended for Drug Court -- either by their attorneys or by
prosecutors -- have entered plea agreements allowing their sentences to be
suspended while they completed the program.

A positive drug screening test or subsequent criminal charges while in the
program lands failed participants in jail as their sentences are no longer
suspended. Successful completion of the program means a sentence initially
suspended won't have to be served, said program coordinator Irwin.

``The goal was to provide more intense supervision and to link these people
with treatment because, typically, there is a long waiting list for someone
to get into a program when substance abuse is involved,'' Irwin said.

``Except for detox, there were no programs of significant length, and
according to all the education we got, all the published research we'd
seen, treatment has to be over a long period of time to be effective with
this population.''

Irwin said the ``typical private insurance client'' who seeks substance
abuse treatment has been referred by a family physician or employee
assistance program at work.

``Their motivation is to hang on to a job, keep the family intact and they
may not have gone as far down the road as some of our clients,'' Irwin said.

``Our clients are coming from the criminal justice system and a long
history with it.''

Irwin described Drug Court clients as ``chemically dependent.''

``The general public thinks of chemical dependency as having physical
symptoms, but that's not actually what it means,'' Irwin said. ``It means
the person's life revolves around obtaining and using drugs.

Every minute

``Everything we would consider normal for an adult to live a productive
life goes out the window. Every minute is spent on `Where can I get drugs?'
and `How am I going to use them?' and `How much can I use?' and `How can I
beat drug screens?' It is a life devoted to that.''

According to Irwin, most clients take 18 months to finish the program,
which is divided into four ``phases.'' Each phase must be successfully
completed before the next can be entered.

``What the people involved at Blount Memorial are doing is dealing with a
lot of associated issues -- eating disorders, anger management, depression,
which is a huge one, and others,'' Irwin said.

``We have found a lot of our people, either because they didn't seek
medical attention or it wasn't available, were never diagnosed with their
problem and a number of them were self-medicating. They found a drug that
was working for them, that left them not depressed anymore, for example,
but the drugs they found are not for depression. Then they found themselves
in criminal trouble. Through Drug Court, they got help and the right
treatment for their depression.''

`A complete departure'

On Mondays, the Drug Court team meets to discuss cases. Members talk about
clients' progress, needed services, such as with obtaining a GED or job
hunting, and the status of any other client legal proceedings.

Also on Mondays, clients who have a program-required court appearance will
do so, but in an unconventional way.

``Clients due in court will come and talk to the judge one on one, not
through counsel,'' Irwin said. ``That's a complete departure from a normal
court proceeding. He'll give them pins if they've done a good job, maybe
present them with certificates of achievement. It's also part of my job to
keep the judge informed. If treatment staff have called me about a
noncompliance issue, I let the judge know.''

Funding for the program began in August 1998 with a two-year grant from the
U.S. Department of Justice. An extension of that grant expired on May 31.
Irwin said officials are in the process of applying for grants from new
sources. At Thursday's ceremony, Thomas said the program was being extended
to Blount County's Community Corrections Program.

The Drug Court's most recent graduation brought the number of successful
completions to eight. Irwin said, based on the number of clients who have
attempted and failed the program, the number is in line with national averages.

``The number eight is a reflection of how hard it is to succeed,'' Irwin
said. ``We have about a 60 percent retention rate, which is about the same
rate nationally. If we made it easy, if we weren't as on top of drug
screens as we are, if we didn't make it as intense, our completion rate
would be a whole lot higher, but that's not the point. The point is this is
an opportunity for people to get their lives back.''

The people

The people range from 18-year-olds to 50-somethings. From students to those
with advanced degrees. From young parents to grandparents. The fact they're
equally male and female is unusual, however, noted Irwin, who said programs
elsewhere are often at least 70 percent male.

``And the graduation is important for these people and their families
because we don't think it's enough to only say, `Congratulations, now
you're in recovery,''' Irwin said. ``We felt we needed to recognize the
sacrifices they and their families had made. In the first phase, treatment
is three hours a day, four days a week, and if someone has a job and a
family, they have no home life. Not to mention they're also supposed to be
attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, making court appearances and
meeting with probation officers.''

District Public Defender Mack Garner hailed those efforts at Thursday's
ceremony, ``People sometimes wonder why I do what I do, but what you've
done to get here, I don't think I could've done it. Seeing you here,
though, this makes what I do all worth it.''

About half of the 50 or so in attendance are now enrolled in the program.
District Attorney Mike Flynn told the group he'd learned something from
each of the graduates.

``And thank you for letting us share this with you,'' Flynn said.

Invited to make remarks, one graduate thanked the Drug Court team.

``My life is so different,'' she said, then tearfully thanked her mother.
``Miracles do happen.''