LOCAL DRUG COURT BECOMING REALITY

The long-awaited Terrebonne drug court will take its first step to becoming
a reality next week.

Judge Johnny Walker will hold a ceremony in his chambers Monday to sign an
intergovernmental agreement between parish government and LSU/Chabert
Medical Center, which will give office space to court administrators,
counseling facilities and offer medical services to participants in the
drug program.

The local program will be called the Terrebonne Parish Drug Treatment Court.

On Friday, court administrators and elected officials will hold a formal
dedication ceremony for the facility at the medical center.

"We're very appreciative Chabert has agreed to work with us," Walker said.

Danny Trahan, Chabert's administrator, said the deal is positive for both
entities.

"It's a win-win deal for both institutions, the hospital and the Terrebonne
Parish District Attorney's Office," Trahan said.

"We're the first charity hospital to implement this process of the drug
court and if it works here, I think it will be copied at other charity
hospitals across the state."

The specialized court will allow authorities to offer substance abuse
counseling and treatment instead of jail time for non-violent drug offenders.

In July, Terrebonne officials learned Houma was one of three Louisiana
communities awarded a grant to create a drug court.

The other cities are Covington and Franklin. There were 89 Justice
Department grants awarded nationwide, totaling $30.9 million.

Through the grants, 55 jurisdictions received $166,000 to $500,000 to
create new drug courts, 20 existing drug courts got $31,222 to $300,000,
and 14 tribal jurisdictions received up to $30,000 to plan drug courts.

The U.S. Justice Department grant for Terrebonne is $498,000, which will be
used to defray costs for the court's first three years of operation.

Local judges have tried to create a specialized court for some time, but
had been unable to fund it.

"The idea is to work with people through these substance abuse problems as
they participate in the program," Walker said. The program lasts 18 months
and includes three, six-month phases of counseling, court monitoring and
drug testing.

Offenders eligible for the program must be charged with a non-violent crime
and have a "true substance abuse problem," Walker said. "We're not looking
for the dealers for this program."

To enter the court, the individual charged with the crime must plea guilty
and agree to intensive supervision and educational programs.

Walker said participants will be tested for drugs two or three times per
week and will meet with a judge at least once per week.

The program's average cost is $2,500 per individual, but Walker said those
unable to pay the costs will not be turned away.

"We don't want to place financial hardships on an individual that would
drive them back to drugs or committing crime," Walker said.

Instead, participants who complete the court's program will be able to
obtain a high school diploma and will be taught basic skills.

"We want them to be able to interact with the community and their family,
so they can be gainfully employed," Walker said.

While the grant provided the seed money to begin the program, Walker said
it is not enough to fully fund it.

"Hopefully we can attain private funding and community donations," he said.

The district attorney's office will also apply for further grants and
collect fees from participants to help keep the program afloat.