DRUG COURT OFFERS ALTERNATIVE TO JAIL

As a counselor and now as coordinator of the St. Johns County Drug
Court program, Ralph Cumberbatch understands that kicking a long-term
habit can be tough.

"But I can't stress enough how important Drug Court is in so many
facets," he said.

"This is a privilege," Cumberbatch added. "If you ever want to be a
voting citizen in this country again, this is a way."

It would help, he said, if everyone came to the program knowing he
needed to straighten his life out.

That's not reality.

"A lot of people get into drug rehabilitation because it's external,
the judge is making them do it," said Cumberbatch. "It would be great
if we could say it's the individual.

"The truth of the matter is they're probably pretty much doing it to
get away from something else."

Cumberbatch and Circuit Court Judge Wendy Berger, who presides over
Drug Court, agree they would like to see enrollment increase from
about 30 to at least 100 participants.

The program helps people, they say, and it makes economic sense.

It costs $240 to book each person into the St. Johns County jail. It
costs $80 a day to incarcerate them.

Participants in the program pay a regular fee, which at least
partially covers the cost of their treatment.

Nearly a dozen people make up the Drug Treatment Division Team.

In addition to Berger and Cumberbatch, members are representatives
from the State Attorney's Office, Public Defender's Office, probation
office, EPIC Treatment, sheriff's office, police department, deputy
clerk of court and the St. Johns Mental Health and Substance Abuse Department.

Defining how well the program works can be tricky, Cumberbatch said.
"Success" can mean different things to different people.

"We're asked, 'Have people gone back to using drugs after abstaining
for 12 months?'" he said. "The answer is some have, some haven't.

"Being practical you have people who have been using drugs for 15 or
20 years. And you think that, miraculously, interrupting that for 12
months is going to cure it.

"You'd be extremely lucky if that happens.

"But you did interrupt it. Something transpired during that time,
when they felt they wanted to make a change. If they continue that,
that's outstanding."

Success, Cumberbatch stressed, isn't always a long, smooth highway.
Everyone involved will find a pothole or two along the way.

"If we keep a person out of jail for 12 months, keep them out of that
revolving door, that's 12 months the person wasn't using drugs," he
said. "They might have had a couple of bumps in the road, but,
compared to their past yes, they've been a success."

Those who contend that a program fails if addicts go back to their
addictions don't understand what they're dealing with, said Cumberbatch.

"That's not fair to people," he said. "It's about the interruptions
(participants) have and what they choose to do when they have this
interruption.

"Hopefully, they do some soul searching, and they choose to stop
using drugs for right now.

"Then maybe it'll be tomorrow. Then maybe a couple of weeks.

"And you go from there." The Program Some St. Johns County defendants
who are charged with felonies are given the choice of serving five
years of drug-offender probation or going to Drug Court, which lasts
about 12 months.

The program has four phases.

Phase I determines the treatment needed, while Phase II helps
participants with the treatment "tools" they need to live without drugs.

Phase III teaches life skills, such as dealing with personal
finances, job interviews, parenting and nutrition.

In Phase IV, participants receive guidance on following their own
written plan for staying drug free.