JUDGE HOPES ADULT DRUG COURT PROGRAM PULLS OFFENDERS OUT
OF REVOLVING DOOR OF DRUG ADDICTION

BLOUNTVILLE - The potentially deadly spiral of drug addiction is like
"an endless revolving door" for many of the people making their way -
often time and time again - through the local court system, Judge
Steve Jones said Tuesday.

But a new program aims to pull some of those people out, Jones said.
Not just out of the courtroom or the county jail - out of addiction.

In addition to saving lives, Jones said, the "Adult Drug Court
Program" has the potential to save money by reducing court, jail, and
law enforcement costs for local jurisdictions.

And for the next four years, Sullivan County can have the program for
free, Jones said.

The Sullivan County Commission will be asked Monday to approve
acceptance of a $500,000 grant to pay for adult day court programs
through mid-2008.

"It's a win-win situation for all of us," Jones said. "Especially
since it's not going to cost the county."

A required funding match will be paid by Comprehensive Community
Services, a nonprofit agency that will administer the program.

"We're doing this because we know there are people out there who were
formerly good citizens," Jones said. "And were seeing a lot of people
that become addicted to Percocet, Lortab, OxyContin - those are the
ones I see a lot of - and they formerly had good jobs, supported their
family, and were involved in the community. And all of a sudden they
have an addiction problem and they're on a downhill slide. They lose
their job. They lose their family. Addiction led them to an endless
revolving door they'll never get out of."

The basic premise of the Adult Drug Court Program is to get treatment
for addicts instead of sending them to jail - although in some cases
an individual might be given jail time and then be put into the
treatment offered by the program.

And a trip to jail continues to be a possibility.

"It's not going to be easy," Jones said. "The program is extensive.
It's pure judicial coercion. They have to appear before the court
regularly, weekly or bi-weekly. And they will be under supervision of
probation officers and drug officers on each end of the county."

And if they fail, "there's a jail cell waiting," Jones
said.

The work to get a local program in place has been ongoing for
sometime, Jones said.

But its name can be misleading, he said.

It's not separate court with a separate judge, although some larger
jurisdictions conduct the program that way.

"Here that will not be the case," Jones said. "It will be just another
addendum to my duties."

Where it will go on already crowded local dockets is a good question,
Jones said.

Jones, and fellow judges Bill Watson and Klyne Lauderback completed
training for the program. That training was provided by the U.S.
Department of Justice, Jones said.

"They are encouraging these programs nationwide," Jones said. "Many of
our jails now have a overcrowding problem, and a lot of the people
there are addicts. We did a profile of our own community through
statistics the sheriff's departement uncovered .. and it was
unbelievable the amount of addicts in the Sullivan County Jail."

And those inmates, Jones said, are very difficult for the jail to
handle.

"They have health-related problems," Jones said. "Many are addicted to
'hard' drugs and go through withdrawal."

Local law enforcement supports the program, Jones said.

"Law enforcement has agreed we need to take some different
approaches," Jones said.

Judges, along with a review committee, will determine who among each
court's cases should be referred for possible participation in the
program.

Those chosen will have to meet certain criteria, primarily that they
have an addiction-related problem and not be considered violent.

Any prior charges of a violent nature will disqualify someone from
participating.

They also will undergo a screening to determine their probability of
success.

Jones and the others involved in the program are ready to get started,
he said. But first the county commission must approve acceptance of
the grant money.

"We're going to start right away," Jones said. "I really think this
can help people. They've got the whole world ahead of them if they
make it."

The Sullivan County Commission is scheduled to meet June 21 at 9 a.m.
on the second floor of the old county courthouse.