County drug court now functioning
By the WPD staff
Thursday, January 25, 2007 12:20 AM EST
Wabash County now has a functioning, certified drug court.
It is not a separate court but a function of the Wabash Superior Court, using existing personnel and, in theory, not costing the taxpayers an extra dime.
Wabash County is apparently the 27th county in Indiana to have a certified drug court. The object is to separate the nonviolent, nondealing drug offenders who have the best chance of cleaning up their act and giving them intensive treatment and supervision for at least a year.
During that time, the defendant will make appearances in front of the drug court judge, usually once a week. The defendant would also be visited at least once a week by probation officers and would be required to undergo court-ordered counseling and treatment. He would also be required to submit to random drug screens, maintain employment and meet family responsibilities.
Program costs would be paid by those being supervised by the program.
What drug defendants are eligible for diversion to drug court? It's a matter of consensus among all parties - the prosecutor, the judge, the defendant, family members and treatment providers. Which defendants have the best chance?
Judge Christopher Goff, who will assume drug court duties in addition to those already his as superior court judge, worked for more than a year to get state certification for drug court.
Trisha Hanes, a Wabash Probation Department staff member, will be drug court coordinator.
The Otis R. Bowen Center will provide treatment to drug court users with a specific curriculum that has been used nationwide since 1984 and which is called the Matrix System.
“As more and more people are becoming aware of the drug court program in Wabash County, I hope they will recognize that it holds significant promise as we combat the problem of addiction in our community,” Goff said.
He said diversion to drug court sometimes will involved withholding sentence to see if the treatment works, but it could also be a condition of sentence after a finding of guilt.
He also stressed that diversion is only for those perceived as nonviolent and nondealing, and there will be close supervision of those in drug court to catch any mistakes that are made.
The regular court machinery will remain in place, Goff said, for those deemed not suitable for diversion.
Goff said similar drug-court programs throughout the nation have proved successful in reducing the rate of recidivism. The Indiana Judicial Center is currently studying program effectiveness, perhaps as a prelude to seeking funding for such an approach statewide.
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