COMPREHENSIVE DRUG PROGRAM IS OVERDUE

My son Don was part of the Maywood Drug/AA court system program in Cook
County, which was run under Judge Judy Davis Mitchell in District 4. Judge
Mitchell has been running this program under a special grant through the
U.S. Department of Justice. Under this program, Judge Mitchell helps the
addict return to a drug- and alcohol-free life. Each case is examined
individually. The problem is treated with an entire program that includes
making certain he has a full time job or is in school, attends four
meetings a week, meets regularly with a social worker where he assesses his
progress and sets his goals, and meets regularly with the judge who
determines the progress he is making.

There is also a similar successful program in Kane County under Judge James
Doyle. It seems as though they are making forward progress on the
devastating issue of drug abuse in both Cook and Kane counties, but in
DuPage, the story is not the same. While drug and alcohol abuse are rising
to epidemic proportions, proper focus in DuPage County's system is
seriously lacking. Involved agencies seem to be working against each other
rather than being focused against the common enemy.

I have taken my concern in front of the DuPage Judicial Public Safety
Committee, asking for more cooperation and new programs such as the social
service program that was headed by John Bently in Cook County. An offender
doesn't and shouldn't have to have a felony conviction before he is
accepted into a social service program.

So many more of our young people could be saved with earlier intervention.
Rather than building jails to accommodate criminals, it makes more sense to
save these people and their families from the heartbreak.

Drug and alcohol dependency is a lifelong battle. The odds of success are
not promising. We need to dedicate ourselves and our resources to working
with these people and offering them the skills they need to make a recovery.

What is it going to take to get a comprehensive drug program in DuPage
County's court system? I can only hope that officials in DuPage County will
put aside politics and start taking steps to work together to treat and not
just incarcerate our addiction problem.

Paula McGowen, Glen Ellyn