As Drug Usage Increase, is a Drug Court Necessary in Portage County?

The recurring drug problem in the city of Kent and Portage County continues to grow. City officials have been assessing the recent drug activity and the question posed to help curb the illegal activity might be to establish a specialized court in Portage County.

“There is certainly a drug problem in the city of Kent,” said Kent Police Lt. Jim Prusha. The Kent Police Department makes drug arrests “pretty frequently,” says Prusha.

According to the Kent Police Department, there were 137 drug violations in Kent during the 2012-2013 school year, and 103 drug violations during the 2013-2014 school year. With 62 drug violations so far this semester, the city is on pace to have about 180 drug related offenses during this school year.

Marijuana usage is the most common drug when police make arrests, however, Prusha says that heroin is becoming more popular in recent years.

The dangers of heroin and its continued use might be enough to begin the process of starting a drug court that specializes in drug related crimes and treatments.

Newly elected Common Pleas Judge Becky Doherty is an advocate for starting a drug court in Portage County. “Specialized courts are a necessity given the heroin epidemic,” said Doherty.

What does a drug court do?

Before Portage County can establish a drug court, it’s important to look at current drug courts in the area.

There are 94 drug courts in Ohio. “I think all counties should have drug courts, and most do,” said Molly Christofferson, Cuyahoga County Drug Court Program Coordinator. There are family dependency courts, juvenile drug courts and adult drug courts. Christofferson says these courts are so effective because “we end up saving tax payer money by treating their addiction as opposed to incarceration.”

Drug Courts assess and treat defendant’s dependency on drugs and alcohol. The courts link the people with services and hold them accountable.”The Cuyahoga County drug court program uses incentives and sanctions to assist clients along the continuum of care. The drug court clients have direct interaction with the judge, and they report for a status review hearing a minimum of once a month,” said Christofferson.

The Process of establishing a drug court starts with obtaining money.

Christofferson says that the Cuyahoga County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board awards money every year to treat drug court participants. The Cuyahoga County drug court team consists of two probation officers, two treatment alternatives to street crime (TASC) officers, a public defender, prosecutor, judge and the drug court coordinator.

The Administrative and Presiding Judge appoint the judge in Cuyahoga County, and Judge David T. Matia has been the Cuyahoga County drug court judge since May 2009.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court 

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court began building its drug court program in 1998. The initial participants were accepted into the program in May of 2009. “Over 300 individuals have entered the program whose goal is to break the cycle of recidivism by addressing an offender’s drug dependency. Drug court has graduated over 110 individuals so far in its short history, returning them to their communities as sober citizens, parents and employees,” according to the Cuyahoga Common Pleas Court website.

The main purpose of any drug court is to accept challenging offenders that have a repetitive criminal history and dependency of drugs, and to treat and cure addiction.

The Cuyahoga Common Pleas Drug Court collaborates with the Cleveland Municipal Drug Court, and both courts share treatment resources, case managers and graduation ceremonies.

Drug Court Opposition

Portage County Prosecutor Victor Vigluicci believes that a drug court is not necessary in Portage County.

“We don’t have the volume of cases nor the funding in Portage County to adopt a drug court. We charge over 1,000 defendants with all felony crimes each year in our county, and have only two Common Pleas Court Judges,” said Vigluicci.

He believes that the county is already giving individualized attention to drug offenders and providing specific and targeted services to them.

“We have an intensive probation program that includes drug and alcohol screening and counseling with frequent drug testing,” said Vigluicci.

Vigluicci agrees that Portage County is in the midst of a heroin epidemic, however, it takes many months of supervised rehabilitation to overcome a heroin addiction, and he says it can be very expensive. In addition, Vigluicci says that he has unfortunately seen many overdose deaths among users who have been through a rehab program.

Looking Ahead

Common Pleas Judge Becky Doherty is an Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) certified Police Academy instructor at Kent State University, which allows her to work with many different police agencies.

“Having practiced in courts in other counties, I see the advantages and the need for specialized courts here in Portage County,” said Doherty.

Establishing a drug court program for first time felony drug abusers would use an “intensive team approach that utilizes resources we already have, such as: Family and Community Services, Coleman and the Mental Health Recovery Board,” said Doherty.

Doherty says that frequent judicial interaction with defendants is key to success.

“Heroin is no longer ‘someone else’s problem’. It’s here in our back yard, affecting our residents and our children. Education for parents, families and schools as to the availability and dangers of heroin can and should be advocated by the Court through partnerships with local agencies,” said Doherty.

However, Vigluicci believes that the old “carrot and stick” approach works the best. He says that you should offer the carrot of treatment and rehabilitation to regain one’s life, but impose consequences of jail or prison if one does not follow through.

It’s important to limit the amount of drug activity in Portage County and Kent. “Drug activity makes other crimes increase,” said Prusha. Addicts will steal to support their habits, among other illegal activities.

Vigluicci says it would be nice to have an in-county residential treatment facility that the court could utilize in sentencing.

“We are currently exploring the purchase of a facility that is a former senior residential facility with the means to fund its purchase and staffing.”

Doherty said if elected she would pursue starting a specialized court in Portage County, and now that she won the election, only time will tell if a drug court will be established in the county.

Sidebar:

How Drug Courts Work

Eligible drug-addicted persons may be sent to Drug Court in lieu of traditional justice system case processing. Drug Courts keep individuals in treatment long enough for it to work, while supervising them closely.

For a minimum term of one year, participants are:

• provided with intensive treatment and other services they require to get and stay clean and sober;
• held accountable by the Drug Court judge for meeting their obligations to the court, society, themselves and their families;
• regularly and randomly tested for drug use;
• required to appear in court frequently so that the judge may review their progress; and
• rewarded for doing well or sanctioned when they do not live up to their obligations.

Information provided by: nadcp.org

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