TREATMENT OFFERS HOPE IN DRUG COURT PROGRAM

DALTON, Ga. -- Municipal Court Judge Jim Wilbanks doesn't see drug addicts
in his court; he sees opportunities, he says.

One of those opportunities was 19-year-old Justin Cole. Mr. Cole said he
couldn't stop using drugs and alcohol until the day he was busted and Judge
Wilbanks offered him a chance for change with treatment, Narcotics
Anonymous meetings and drug screenings.

"For the past year, there has been some bumps in the road, and you've had
to spend time in jail. We went through those periods," Judge Wilbanks said
to Mr. Cole recently. "Now you're a good example of the program and how it
works with your initiative."

The program did make a difference, Mr. Cole said.

"It's turned my life around," he said. "If you knew me before, I was pretty
bad. Now I'm doing great."

A pile of essays lie on Judge Wilbanks' desk. All are testimonials to the
positive work of drug court, a new approach to stopping the cyclical nature
of drug arrests.

"The jails and prisons are full," Judge Wilbanks said. "We have to correct
the problem. Otherwise, it's a vicious circle. In the 1960s and 1970s, we
were treating the addiction.

"As the conservative movement took over, the attitude was, 'It's their
fault. It's their responsibility. Stick them in jail and punish them.' It's
not working. We can't afford as a society to do it," Judge Wilbanks said.

The drug court program looks at the defendant's history of abuse and
combines inpatient or outpatient treatment with jail time, intensive
probation, supervision and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to address the
problem, Judge Wilbanks said.

"A lot of these people will tell you straight up they can't do it alone,"
Judge Wilbanks said.

Alternative Probation Service supervises probationers with the use of ankle
monitors and phone line Breathalyzers, said probation service
representative Matthew Johnston.

"It's a random (phone) call, and they blow through the (tamper-proof)
Breathalyzer camera, which sends the information back. It also determines
that they are at home. Both are pretty effective," Mr. Johnston said.

Relapses are expected because drug addiction is a daily battle, Judge
Wilbanks said.

"I expect them not to relapse, but I'm not surprised when it happens,"
Judge Wilbanks said. "We have it fairly often. It carries with it serious
consequences." People who abused drugs relapse more often than those who
abused alcohol, Mr. Johnston said.

"If they test positive, they are likely to spend the next two weekends in
jail," said Rick Eaton, owner of Alternative Probation Service.

The difference is in the care for the individual, Judge Wilbanks said.

"Some of these people say they don't want to come back and face me because
they don't want to disappoint me. Judges don't typically have this kind of
interaction, and people aren't used to it," he said.

At other times, nothing works, and the person goes to jail to serve the
time, Judge Wilbanks said.

"There is one 19-year-old female with a history of methamphetamine and
marijuana use. She is bright, articulate and comes from a great family. She
came home from a residential treatment center for several days and used
again," Judge Wilbanks said. "The next step was reality. I put her in jail
for six months."