JAIL APPLIES FOR A GRANT TO TREAT INMATES

Substance Abuse Is A Major Factor In Gaston County
Crime

Gaston County Jail officials have applied for a state grant to create
on-site substance abuse and mental health programs.

The $30,000 grant to treat inmates would reduce the recidivism rate
because 86 percent of crime in Gaston County is committed by people
drinking or on drugs, said Doug Lance, executive director of The
Alternative Community Penalties Program for Gaston, Lincoln and
Cleveland counties.

About 8 percent to 10 percent of the remaining 14 percent of crimes
are committed by people with mental health problems, he added.

The overall recidivism rate is about 50 percent.

"I think (the new programs) could possibly affect the jail population
so that 30 percent would not return," Lance said. "That would be huge."

The Attorney General's Office will soon decide whether Gaston County
will receive the grant.

"We're going to provide them the opportunity to try to learn how to
overcome their addictions and other problems," said Gaston County
Sheriff Alan Cloninger.

Half of the money would pay for a substance abuse counselor to meet
with 24 inmates individually or in groups once a week for 52 weeks.
The counselor also would find outside treatment or counseling for
inmates out on bond.

The remaining $15,000 would pay for two certified instructors to teach
inmates how to modify their behavior and think about the consequences
of their decisions. They would meet with 12 to 15 inmates six hours
each week for 52 weeks.

Jail officials would track participating inmates for one year by
looking at whether they've been arrested again, are incarcerated and
whether they have used drugs or alcohol.

There's only one substance abuse program available now. Only a small
group of convicted criminals are eligible -- those who have been
court-ordered to take a class instead of going to jail.

The program teaches people about their disease and helps them identify
what triggers their drug or alcohol use, said Rick Pyant, substance
abuse director at the county's Restorative Justice Center on Highland
Avenue in Gastonia.

"If you can't break the denial, people don't see it as a problem," he
said.

His clients are usually people who committed a crime while under the
influence of drugs or alcohol. Two of the students are Angela Clemmer,
22, and Hugh Kevin Stone, 20, both of Gastonia.

Stone said he grew up seeing a relative smoke crack and shoot
heroin.

He learned that selling drugs was a quick way to make money, and by
age 16, he was drinking alcohol, taking pills and smoking pot.

Two months ago, he was given these options: go to jail for charges
including breaking and entering and assault with a deadly weapon, or
complete the substance abuse program.

Clemmer, meanwhile, said she was abusing Xanax when police charged her
with breaking and entering and credit card fraud. She spent six months
in jail, and qualified for the substance abuse treatment program after
her release.

"People don't understand that relapse is part of recovery," she said.
"They understand that here."

Stone said he has relapsed since enrolling in the class, but is
working through it. He said he will distance himself from family and
friends upon completion of the class so he won't fall back into the
same lifestyle.

"The program helps if you really want to be helped," he said.