[B]ENNINGTON — Local advocates of alternatives to incarceration for drug offenders launched an effort this week to re-establish a drug court docket in Bennington County.
Meeting with Sen. Dick Sears, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and other area lawmakers, the group discussed their motivations and the reasoning behind the proposal.
The goal, said Select Board member Jim Carroll, was “to do whatever we can to re-establish a drug court in Bennington County.”
Mary Gerisch, a board member with Rights and Democracy, cited statistics illustrating how treatment and supervision alternatives to a court conviction and incarceration not only benefit individuals but reduce costs for the criminal justice system — and state and local governments more broadly.
“This is actually fiscally responsible,” Gerisch said, adding that the average cost of incarcerating someone ranges from about $65 to $250 per day, not including any medical costs.
In addition, she said, there are significant secondary costs — such as for welfare, foster care or Medicaid expenses when a wage earner is incarcerated.
Gerisch said a subsequent meeting would invite members of the public, government agencies, religious groups and service organizations to come to the table in an attempt to find common ground on the issue.
Educator Rachel Blumenthal said statistics surrounding such programs show definite cost savings and societal benefits. “It is not 100 percent, but there are numbers that show the benefits,” she said.
Sears joined the conversation along with Bennington Police Chief Paul Doucette and Ken Sigsbury, of Turning Point Center. They spoke of the critical importance of how people are chosen for the alternative program and how much confidence law enforcement officials have in the process.
In tracing the history of drug courts, which originated in Florida about 25 years ago, Sears said such dockets depend on cooperation among judges, the state’s attorney, defense attorneys and caseworkers assigned to the court to monitor the progress of those in the program.
He and others referred to tensions between prosecutors and defense attorneys over the selection process when a drug court docket operated in Bennington about a decade ago.
Doucette raised concerns about how a drug court might negatively impact services currently offered by the nonprofit Center for Restorative Justice. He cautioned against creating duplicative services, and suggested focusing efforts on strengthening that existing program.
And Doucette said he would like to see more data on how candidates for the program should be assessed and how the drug court would follow up on the conditions it sets on them.
“You need caseworkers to check up on people,” he said. “You can’t count on the probation department,” because of staff limitations.
Doucette later added, “We also have to understand that the safety of the community is paramount. That is why we incarcerate [some] people.”
Gerisch said Leitha Cipriano, executive director of the CRJ, will be invited to the next meeting along with representatives from other related organizations and government agencies.
The state budget submitted by Gov. Phil Scott could put further pressure on the justice system, Sears told the group, due to proposed funding cuts that could affect the number of judges and the state’s attorney and public defender offices. He said there are efforts in the Legislature to restore some of that funding.
An obvious focus for a drug court docket, Sears said, would be on persons facing non-violent drug- or alcohol-related offenses who are awaiting trial.
At a given time, he said, there are around 400 people awaiting trial in the state. Effective treatment options at that point in the process could have a significant impact, Sears said, possibly lowering the number being held by roughly a fourth.
Funding for drug court programs is available from federal, state and private sources, Gerisch said, and in other courts some personnel volunteer their time or are part of an existing addiction, mental health or health care network.
Currently, specialty court dockets in Vermont include an adult drug treatment docket in Rutland and four other treatment dockets.
