Drug Court Offers a Different Option

Cache County’s Drug Court program offers something different than imprisonment for most local residents facing felony drug related crimes. In conjunction with the Bear River Health Department, offenders are offered a structured and disciplined program to help conquer their addictions.

The recidivism rate after completion of the program is around 18 percent, Drug Court Case Manager Sheryl Andreason said. About 45 percent of offenders convicted of similar drug related crimes that served prison time will relapse, according to the US Justice Department.

“It is a successful program,” Andreason said of how the program is structured. “It puts the responsibility back on the client.”

Drug Court is designed to be completed in a 16 month timeframe. Offenders must participate in rigorous treatment sessions, regular court appearances and undergo random urinalyses test.

One of the main goals of Drug Court is the emphasis on long term recovery, Andreason said. Most the participants have had previous drug related charges.

“I have done drugs for years and been to prison four times because of it,” Christine Quire said. “Every time I got out, I went right back to my same pattern of use.”

“This is the first time that I feel that I am actually in recovery,” she says of the Drug Court program. “I finally have the desire to be sober and have learned so much about myself and how I should be living from the program.”

Others cannot handle, or choose not to participate in Drug Court. There are strict guidelines participants must abide by or sanctions such as jail time or community service are immediately enforced.

There is also the cost factor. After paying for the ongoing counseling treatments, urinalysis tests, and probation costs, Drug Court participants pay over $3000 for the program.

“Some insurance companies cover a portion of the costs incurred by the clients,” Andreason said. Medicaid covers all counseling treatment sessions, which accounts for the majority of the programs costs.

Medicaid covering portions of the program don’t settle well with some. “It is really frustrating to me that we accept Medicaid cards to pay for this when they are here because they have gotten themselves in trouble,” an anonymous health department employee said.

Clients that successfully discharged from the program maintain a sustained period of sobriety, gain an understanding of high risk behaviors, obtain knowledge of chemical and addiction, and develop a relapse prevention plan, according to the Drug Courts Executive Summary.

Upon completion of the Drug Court program, all charges pertaining to the offender as to why they were in the program will be dismissed.