First Of Ongoing Series

DRUG COURT: SECOND CHANCE AT A DECENT LIFE

Lane Launches Program That Has Produced Sparkling Results Elsewhere In America

Note: The following article is the first in a series regarding the creation
of the Fifth Judicial District Drug Court Program founded 15 months ago by
Judge Robert Lane. After building a coalition consisting of the courts, law
enforcement, prosecutors, the public defender's office, the department of
parole and probation, and local counselors, the program's first client
appeared in court Monday afternoon, marking the innovative - and by all
accounts, promising - program's beginning in Nye County.

Because the drug court is designed to treat addiction rather than punish
illicit users as is done in criminal courts, the identities of participants
will be altered for purposes of confidentiality; their photographs will not
be printed.

In the coming weeks the Pahrump Valley Times will follow the progress of
drug court participants, the manner in which its administrators and
counselors handle the caseload, what type of offender is accepted into the
docket, and whom is denied.

The carrot dangling at the end of Judge Robert Lane's stick is to be
coveted. The carrot is nothing less than a reprieve - a second chance;
something worth striving to capture is what is at stake: the avoidance of a
felony conviction and an honest shot at beating addiction to methamphetamine.

Lane offered a personal and poignant explanation behind his decision to
implement drug court in Pahrump. Lane explained to John that his younger
brother has used drugs for the past 25 years. "He's 39," Lane said of his
brother. "He's had about 200 jobs, he's been indigent at times, and it all
started when our dad ran out when (my brother) was 15.

"He lived on the streets. Everybody gave up on him. He couldn't hold jobs
and he was disrespectful. For 20 years I'd tell him to just quit. I never
drank or used so I just figured he could just quit."

Lane said that attitude changed when he attended judicial college and
learned how people become addicted to drugs, and how difficult it can be to
quit. "Now I know what my brother went through," he said.

If statistics compiled in drug courts from Clark County to Philadelphia are
a yardstick to measure by, then John has a decent chance not to lead a life
similar to Lane's younger brother. According to the judge, those who
graduate from similar drug courts are far less likely to be arrested and
charged with drug possession compared to defendants who are prosecuted in
criminal court.

The numbers are startling. Lane said the rate of recidivism regarding drug
court participants is 15 percent. The number spikes to 85 percent for
traditional defendants. The success rate could be attributed to the staunch
regimen that drug court participants must adhere to.

Lane told John the program would make extraneous efforts to help
participants secure employment, a place to live, "and a chance to
straighten their lives out." The judge warned John the program was not
easy, and that the court would not give up on him.

On the other hand, one misstep on the part of the participants and a price
will be paid. Lane explained that, depending on the infraction, sanctions
could be imposed that include dismissal from the program accompanied by the
reinstatement of the original charges, jail time, or both.

Success will be recognized as well. Lane said a reward program is in the
design phase that would give a participant incentive to continue to stay clean.

"My hope is you'll be the first graduate," Lane said to John. "My hope is
in a year we have 100 participants." That shouldn't be a problem. According
to local counselors - warning: another startling statistic ahead - as many
as 6,000 valley residents are addicted to drugs, most that abuse
methamphetamine.

"Addicts lives are miserable," Lane said. "Most want to quit." Lane told
John, a 30-year-old truck driver with a long history of drug busts, that he
wanted him to help others quit if he is the first to succeed in the
program, which lasts from 12 to 36 months, depending on the participant's
progress.

"I know responsibility is tough for an addict."

Lane said the program would only be useful to those who truly want to
escape the cycle of drug abuse. And the criteria that participants must
meet bears out that opinion. Participants must meet with counselors on a
weekly basis. They must attend a minimum of three counseling sessions and
three meetings per week of Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.
They must submit to two random drug tests per week.

If participants are unemployed, they must present themselves to the Parole
and Probation Department each morning at 8 a.m. They must also appear in
court at 4 p.m. every Monday afternoon to advise the judge of their progress.

If participants abscond from the jurisdiction, Lane said warrants would be
issued and the person would be returned to the criminal system. "You have
to want to succeed," Lane said. "The benefits are that your crimes go away
and you get the ability to stay off drugs."

John assured the judge he wants to be in the program, and he wants to quit
using meth. He'll get his chance to prove it every Monday afternoon at 4
for at least the next year.