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Tahoe Launches Adult Felony Drug Court
Program primarily focuses on helping parenting adults who are struggling with substance abuse
A new program is being launched in South Lake Tahoe to help some of the highest risk individuals take steps to straighten out their lives. Adult Felony Drug Court is targeted for people, especially pregnant women and parenting adults, who are struggling with substance abuse and who have committed non-violent felony crimes. The program is a collaborative effort between numerous agencies in El Dorado County, including the Public Health Department, Superior Court, District Attorney's Office, Public Defender, Sierra Recovery Center, and the Probation Department, and is funded by a grant from the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs.
Participants of the Adult Felony Drug Court receive outpatient and residential substance abuse treatment if indicated and submit to frequent drug testing. They must also come to court a minimum of once every two weeks to have their progress reviewed by the judge. The Honorable Judge Jerald Lasarow is presiding over this innovative program. He will actively monitor each participant closely throughout the course of treatment and will provide incentives and encouragement for those who are doing well. He will also have the ability to sanction those who are not in compliance.
Adult Felony Drug Court is unique because it uses a team approach, with multiple agencies coming together to hold the participants accountable while encouraging them to continue working on becoming clean and sober. While participating in substance abuse treatment, the client may also participate in mental health counseling, parent education, employment coaching, job placement and/or anger management classes.
To successfully graduate from the program, individuals must remain clean and sober, and complete the objectives in their treatment plans and terms of probation. For most individuals, the program will take a year to 18 months to complete.
Adult Felony Drug Court is modeled after other successful drug court programs currently being implemented in El Dorado County and throughout California. In California, researchers have recently completed two studies that demonstrate significant cost-benefit savings to counties that are implementing drug court programs. "When someone is struggling with the disease of addiction, it is much less expensive to provide treatment services than to put them in prison," said Shirley White, Supervising Health Education Coordinator with the Public Health Department. "Recidivism rates are much lower for those that successfully graduate from drug court programs. The key is providing the appropriate level of treatment necessary to help clients make needed changes and actively monitoring each case."
According to White, women who are pregnant, and men and women with young children are the primary target for the program because of the potential to positively impact the family unit. "For many participants, this program is their last hope," said White. "This program requires accountability and hard work, but it also has a strong support and guidance component. We are very hopeful that it will make a real difference for these families and for our community."
The program was launched at the beginning of November in South Lake Tahoe. Up to 20 people are expected to participate over the course of the next year. For more information about the El Dorado County Adult Felony Drug Court program, contact White at (530) 621-7571.
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