Pubdate: Fri, 05 Jul 2002
Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press (TN)
Copyright: 2002 Chattanooga Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.timesfreepress.com/index.html
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/992
Author: Pat Mahony
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts)

TREATMENT OFFERS HOPE IN DRUG COURT PROGRAM

DALTON, Ga. -- Municipal Court Judge Jim Wilbanks doesn't see drug addicts 
in his court; he sees opportunities, he says.

One of those opportunities was 19-year-old Justin Cole. Mr. Cole said he 
couldn't stop using drugs and alcohol until the day he was busted and Judge 
Wilbanks offered him a chance for change with treatment, Narcotics 
Anonymous meetings and drug screenings.

"For the past year, there has been some bumps in the road, and you've had 
to spend time in jail. We went through those periods," Judge Wilbanks said 
to Mr. Cole recently. "Now you're a good example of the program and how it 
works with your initiative."

The program did make a difference, Mr. Cole said.

"It's turned my life around," he said. "If you knew me before, I was pretty 
bad. Now I'm doing great."

A pile of essays lie on Judge Wilbanks' desk. All are testimonials to the 
positive work of drug court, a new approach to stopping the cyclical nature 
of drug arrests.

"The jails and prisons are full," Judge Wilbanks said. "We have to correct 
the problem. Otherwise, it's a vicious circle. In the 1960s and 1970s, we 
were treating the addiction.

"As the conservative movement took over, the attitude was, 'It's their 
fault. It's their responsibility. Stick them in jail and punish them.' It's 
not working. We can't afford as a society to do it," Judge Wilbanks said.

The drug court program looks at the defendant's history of abuse and 
combines inpatient or outpatient treatment with jail time, intensive 
probation, supervision and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to address the 
problem, Judge Wilbanks said.

"A lot of these people will tell you straight up they can't do it alone," 
Judge Wilbanks said.

Alternative Probation Service supervises probationers with the use of ankle 
monitors and phone line Breathalyzers, said probation service 
representative Matthew Johnston.

"It's a random (phone) call, and they blow through the (tamper-proof) 
Breathalyzer camera, which sends the information back. It also determines 
that they are at home. Both are pretty effective," Mr. Johnston said.

Relapses are expected because drug addiction is a daily battle, Judge 
Wilbanks said.

"I expect them not to relapse, but I'm not surprised when it happens," 
Judge Wilbanks said. "We have it fairly often. It carries with it serious 
consequences." People who abused drugs relapse more often than those who 
abused alcohol, Mr. Johnston said.

"If they test positive, they are likely to spend the next two weekends in 
jail," said Rick Eaton, owner of Alternative Probation Service.

The difference is in the care for the individual, Judge Wilbanks said.

"Some of these people say they don't want to come back and face me because 
they don't want to disappoint me. Judges don't typically have this kind of 
interaction, and people aren't used to it," he said.

At other times, nothing works, and the person goes to jail to serve the 
time, Judge Wilbanks said.

"There is one 19-year-old female with a history of methamphetamine and 
marijuana use. She is bright, articulate and comes from a great family. She 
came home from a residential treatment center for several days and used 
again," Judge Wilbanks said. "The next step was reality. I put her in jail 
for six months."
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