DRUG COURT FUNDING APPROVED

The Calhoun County Commission approved a measure Thursday that will fully
fund the creation of a special drug court.

At the request of Circuit Judge Joel Laird and District Attorney Joe
Hubbard, commissioners have appropriated $83,000 for the new court.

For those who qualify, drug court will offer treatment in a strict,
judge-monitored program. As well, there is incentive for participants to
stay drug free and successfully graduate from the program: They won't go to
jail, and the drug charge against them will be dropped.

"We hope to be up and running in the next few days," Hubbard said. Not
everyone charged with a drug crime will be accepted in the program. There
will be a qualifying process that includes a lengthy application procedure.

"We are starting small and then we will broaden," the district attorney
said. "It will be only for those charged with possession."

Pushers and violent offenders need not apply, he added.

The county will run the drug court under the umbrella of the community
corrections authority, which Bill Robison heads.

Neal Breiner, who has been the substance abuse coordinator for Salvation
Army, will coordinate the court. Calhoun County Mental Health, through its
New Directions substance abuse program, will offer a strict treatment program.

Each offender will be closely monitored by Judge Laird, who will preside
over the court.

"All of us realize (drugs) are a problem we have not been able to solve by
locking a possessor up," said Hubbard, whose office will work closely with
all aspects of the new court. He hopes the court will change people's lives
and ultimately reduce the number of abusers.

National studies have shown jail time rarely breaks the cycle of abuse.

"It has the potential to be a great program for this county, and of really
helping people who don't have a way to get help," said commission Chairman
Lea Fite.

The county had already provided $20,000 for the court. The remainder of the
money will come from a state law enforcement grant expected to arrive in
October, said County Administrator Ken Joiner.

In other business, the commission voted to:

Apply for a state grant that would provide $90,000 for Operation Save
Teens, a program that the Calhoun County Drug Task Force administers to
educate school children and parents about the dangers of drugs. Last year,
the Anniston-based program reached 35,000 students across the state and
helped about a dozen troubled teen-agers get help with drug-abuse problems.
The program focuses on informing teen-agers in schools within Calhoun and
Etowah counties.

Apply for a state grant that would provide $45,392 to hire a juvenile
officer who would follow-up on criminal cases involving juveniles, making
sure the juveniles pay restitution and complete court-ordered
rehabilitation programs.

Passed a resolution supporting Sen. Jeff Sessions in his attempt to
establish the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge within the former
Army Training installation at McClellan. Commissioner Robert Downing, who
introduced the resolution, said the 10,000-acre tract contains the only
remaining old-growth stands of mountain longleaf pine. Downing said the
U.S. Department of Interior had indicated it would not accept the site as a
refuge.

Authorized Administrator Joiner to execute an option on an unidentified
parcel of property near the courthouse. The land and building would be
"very conducive" to future growth needs at the courthouse, Joiner said.

About Jason Landers Glencoe native Jason Landers covers law enforcement
for The Anniston Star.