COURT OFFERS DRUG SCREENING

Sometimes it takes a run-in with the law for people with drug problems to
realize they need help.

A new drug screening program at Rutland District Court could make the first
step toward substance abuse recovery easier, court officials said.

For two weeks, people coming to court on Monday mornings have been invited
to watch a 20-minute tape on the causes and consequences of drug abuse.

Afterward, viewers are told they can speak with someone across the hall if
they have a drug problem they would like to kick.

Those who enter the room find Lee Laughlin waiting. A substance abuse
counselor from Rutland Mental Health Services, Laughlin said he tries to
assess the severity of a person's drug use and recommend treatment options
accordingly.

"If someone's got a four-bag-a-day habit, it's not hard to do a screening,"
Laughlin said. "But not everyone needs residential care. There are a lot of
12-step programs and other treatment solutions."

Since he started coming to court on May 13, Laughlin said he's been visited
by a steady stream of people.

He won't discuss how many he's seen, the problems he's discussed and the
solutions he's recommended because of confidentiality issues.

District court might seem to some like an unusual place for people to open
up about their drug problems. But Laughlin said court is the place where
many people have second thoughts about the direction their life is taking.

"It's a time in most people's lives when they're feeling the most
vulnerable," he said. "I want to assist people who have gotten into trouble
legally because of their addictions. We're not dealing with widgets, these
are human beings."

Laughlin isn't the only one interested in helping drug users quit.

Rutland County State's Attorney James Mongeon said too many drug users are
repeatedly on the docket for offenses they commit trying to support their
habits.

"We need to be addressing the problem at the earliest opportunity," Mongeon
said. "A central problem with crimes related to drugs is that people get
released or sentenced, but the addiction is still there."

Mongeon was involved in the creation of the screening program, along with
defense attorneys, District Court Judge Nancy Corsones and Rutland Mental
Health officials.

"The adversarial lines are disappearing," public defender Lorin Duckman
said. "We're realizing we need to work together to deal with drug addiction
crimes. We can't keep penalizing people for the failure of the system."

Voluntary participation in the program is also taken into consideration
during bail arguments and sentencing -- but only if the defendants want the
judge to know about their screenings.

Corsones said that, depending on the case, she might release a defendant
screened into a drug treatment program rather than impose bail.

"We cannot rehabilitate a sick person," the judge said. "It's an illness,
not just criminal behavior but an illness. We need to restore their health,
then sort out their rehab needs."

The program won't be an easy path to leniency for users seeking an easy way
out of paying for their crimes.

Laughlin said he had access to criminal records for the people he
interviewed. If someone asked for help who had just been arrested for
selling drugs, for example, he said he would take that into account.

"I've got 12 years of experience in this field and a bit of a discerning
eye," he said. "Intent is always a bit of a slippery fish, but I believe
there's enough anecdotal evidence to suggest treatment works."

He said anything that did get by him would most likely be spotted by the
judge, who he said had a shrewd eye.

"Her BS detector is finely tuned," he said.