WAYNE DRUG COURT GRAD IS GRATEFUL

LYONS -- Richard Chaltain is the first proof that the Wayne County
Drug Treatment Court works.

Nearly two years removed from a DWI arrest in the village of Newark,
Chaltain is alcohol-free and looking forward to the next stage of his
life.

Chaltain, of Geneva, is the first graduate of the county's drug court,
founded in January 2002. During a ceremony at the Wayne County Hall of
Justice yesterday, he thanked all the people who helped him to achieve
this moment.

"It's not about my accomplishment but about yours," Chaltain said.
"You provided me the tools to succeed. You showed well-being for me
and my family."

To some people, the drug court may be perceived as the justice system
being soft on crime, but Wayne County District Attorney Richard Healy
said he will deal with the consequences if there are any problems.

"There are some people in this community that feel the drug court is
too liberal or that we aren't doing the right thing to prosecute the
crime," Healy said. "Sure, there is some risk involved, but I feel
strongly enough about the drug court that I'll take on the critics in
the community."

The drug court was set up under the guidance of Judge Dennis Kehoe. He
said the Wayne County drug treatment court has been an example for
others in the state.

"This drug court has been successful because the participants are very
successful," Kehoe said. "Most people have been promised state prison
if they fail. If Richard had gone to state prison, he would be getting
out about now, but with no treatment."

Dennis Coleman, drug court coordinator, said the drug court has four
phases before graduation. Each phase lasts three months and
individuals in the program must be drug-free for a full year before
graduating.

Currently, the drug treatment court has 23 active participants. The
Wayne County drug court can handle only felony cases. Coleman said an
application has been made for HUB court status, which would allow the
drug court to handle both misdemeanor and felony-level cases.

People who complete the program can have charges against them reduced
or dismissed.

The goal of drug treatment courts is to prevent repeat offenses for
substance abuse. When drug treatment courts began in New York under
the guidance of Chief Justice Judith Kaye, there was no evidence that
recidivism was lower. Today, the number of drug court graduates who
relapse and go back into the justice system is diminishing, Coleman
said.

"You don't establish a friendship necessarily, but it's difficult not
to establish a long-lasting relationship with these people," noted
Coleman. "People doing common things get close, and this is what
happens in other drug courts. The justice system and treatment are a
good fit. If we can do something to make these people accountable and
help them get the services they need, they will graduate."

Kehoe said each participant has a date in which he or she last used
drugs or alcohol, and the data is kept in the computer system. Each
time there is a relapse, the date is re-entered.

"As of today, we have clean time of 4,787 days. Some of our
participants have been clean for 400 days, others 250 days," Kehoe
said. "Each day this person is clean, they aren't in jail. So that's
4,787 days of people not sitting in Wayne County Jail or state prison."

During the graduation ceremony, other participants were given
certificates for reaching new phases of the program. Coleman said four
or five people are in the final phase.

Assemblyman Robert Oaks, R-128 of Macedon, spoke about the success of
the drug court and people's "willingness to take a risk" to make the
court viable. Oaks presented Chaltain with a New York State
Certificate of Merit.

Chaltain said he was tired of being a problem for his family and
wanted to make a change.

"I no longer wanted to be an embarrassment to my children," said
Chaltain. "So I came here. I don't think I could have done this
without them. We are closer than we have ever been."

Chaltain has now started a support group of his own and said he will
continue to work with future drug court participants.

"I want to give back what has been given so freely to me," he
explained. "These people gave me an awful nice opportunity in lieu of
going to prison. This was not forced on me, I wanted to do it. But I
want to be there for the participants. I gave them my phone number,
and if something arises, I'm there for them. I want to share my
experience. That's what it's all about."