Much of Vigo Drug Court work plays out behind-the-scenes

By Deb Kelly

TERRE HAUTE — Much of the behind-the-scenes work of the 11-year-old Vigo County Drug Court happens across the street from the courthouse — at the Community Corrections building — where lab technicians collect and process hundreds of drug screens each week.

Drug court participants attend regular one-on-one meetings with caseworkers, group meetings focused on addiction and their regular court appearances – but one of the primary elements of drug court is testing.

In addition to Judge Barbara Brugnaux, who presides over drug court each week, the staff includes Paul Southwick, coordinator of the drug court and case manager, and Eve Fears, a case manager.

Drug court participants complete the program in phases, which last from 18 to 36 months.

During Phase 1, participants are drug-tested twice weekly; in Phase 2, they are tested weekly; by Phase 3, participants are tested twice a month and in Phases 4 and 5, the drug and alcohol tests become random.

The testing is not cheap, and though participants pay various fees to cover drug tests, the drug court program has been supported in part by federal grant dollars and by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. Brugnaux said some funding also has come from the county Prosecutor’s Office and the County Council.

Drug court administrators hope to approach the Indiana Legislature in 2009 to ask for appropriations for the program.

The cost is part of the reason there are so few drug court participants – the program initially was set up for 100 people, according to Southwick. Now, there are about 130, compared with the county Alcohol and Drug program, which currently has more than 650 cases.

Drug court is a highly structured program, and offers many incentives to participants, not least of which is the possibility of having criminal charges dismissed in exchange for spending 18 to 36 months in the program.

Testing takes place in the Community Corrections building at the corner of First and Ohio streets, a building that also houses Vigo County Superior Court Division 2, the county work release program and other corrections offices.

Drug court case managers share space on the second floor of the almost-two-year-old building with the county Alcohol and Drug Program.

Bernie Burns, director of the A&D; Program, says the two programs, while similar, are not the same.

Unlike the drug court, the county Alcohol and Drug Program, which has been in place since 1974, operates solely with user fees. The A&D; program is an assessment, referral, education and monitoring resource for the court system that helps courts identify when an offender could benefit from treatment, whereas drug court is a newer, more intensive operation that gives offenders more one-on-one time with case managers and requires regular reporting to the court.

But the two programs work closely together and share lab equipment for drug and alcohol tests.

The facility at First and Ohio includes a state-of-the-art lab that can process up to 80 urine samples at one time for a number of controlled substances. Tests that come back positive for at least one substance are kept locked in a storage freezer for six months in case of disputes.

While there are more individuals in the A&D; program, the majority of the drug screenings are done for drug court. Sixty-five percent of the nearly 7,000 screenings done over the past year were for drug court participants. Of those, about 6 percent came back positive for at least one substance.

In addition to urinalysis, the facility is set up to give regular breath tests to monitor alcohol use among participants. Southwick said they do about 80 breath tests a day, seven days a week. Most of those are for the A&D; program; drug court participants may be required to give breath tests, depending on their charges.

Drug court participants are screened consistently; those in the A&D; program only have to submit to tests if their case managers suspect they are using.

Burns, who has been with the A&D; program since 1985, said the new building and lab equipment are “heaven sent,” making their work – and the work of the drug court – much more effective.

Deb Kelly can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or deb.mckee@tribstar.com.

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