Pubdate: Wed, 20 Aug 2014
Source: Oregonian, The (Portland, OR)
Copyright: 2014 The Oregonian
Contact:  http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/324
Author: Kelly House

MULTNOMAH COUNTY START DRUG COURT GRADUATES 100TH PARTICIPANT

James Gardner was desperate to get high when he stole the
diamond-and-platinum ring that landed him and his girlfriend in jail.

The pair, heroin addicts, were having withdrawals. Stealing and
pawning the ring was a quick route to drug money.

"With that kind of drug, enough was never enough," said Gardner, 27,
of Portland.

His girlfriend, 22-year-old Kayla Ballew, said by then, the pair was
spending $100 a day on heroin. She knew they would be caught for
stealing the ring, "but at the time, it didn't matter."

They were arrested. When a judge looked at their record, each got a
choice: Prison time, or enrollment in an intensive program designed to
rehabilitate addicts who commit medium and high-level thefts,
robberies and burglaries in pursuit of their addictions.

Gardner and Ballew chose the latter and on Wednesday morning, they
appeared before Judge Jean Maurer beaming with pride about their
success in the program.

Multnomah County's START court (an acronym for Success Through
Accountability, Restitution and Treatment) graduated its 100th
participant Wednesday. Gardner and Ballew were among the seven
graduates who received their diplomas.

"All of us in the legal profession put our certificate on the wall so
we can be reminded of the amount of work that it took," Maurer told
the graduates. "I want you to do the same. The work that has been
invested by each of you cannot be overstated."

Preliminary studies have shown that offenders who participate in the
special program are less likely to re-offend than their counterparts
who undergo traditional court supervision.

As part of the deal, START participants must repay their victims for
the items they stole and attend a rigorous schedule of support group
meetings and visits with their parole and probation officers. They
also must stop doing drugs.

On Wednesday, the latest crop of graduates shared their stories as
dozens of friends and family members filled the courtroom benches.
Some recalled the shame of stealing from family members to buy drugs.
One woman wept as she recounted losing custody of her children.
Gardner remembered how, two weeks after volunteering for the program,
he tried to back out. He's glad he didn't, he said.

Now, Gardner and Ballew are both thriving. They have jobs, a car they
bought with their own earnings, and they've been sober for a year.
Ballew just got her GED, but she said her biggest accomplishment is
regaining her family's trust. Her brother loaned her money to help pay
restitution.

"That never would have happened when I was using," she said. "It's a
big deal to have my family's trust back."  
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jo-D