Drug court expands to Sanders County

Sanders County recently signed on to participate in the 20th Judicial District Adult Drug Court (JDADC). The court has been active in Lake County since 2016. The program was created to restructure judicial participation in cases involving chemically dependent offenders.

The goal of the JDADC, according to District Judge Molly Owen, is to ensure participants will have more success in maintaining law-abiding behavior, reducing the number and duration of relapses while increasing the duration of their sobriety, and increasing their life skills. For those eligible for JDADC, a treatment team comprised of Judge Owen, a defense attorney, a prosecutor, mental health counselors, addiction counselors, a probation officer, an Advanced Nurse Practitioner specially trained in chemical dependency medicine, and a case manager work together to develop treatment solutions for an offender. “It utilizes a cooperative, comprehensive, structured, and centralized system of multi-disciplinary community providers to meet the needs of the participating defendant and to provide the participant with a comprehensive program of drug and alcohol treatment and related ancillary services,” Judge Owen stated.

“I am extremely excited to expand the 20th Judicial District Adult Treatment Court to Sanders County,” Judge Owen told The Ledger. She said that the hope from the beginning was to encompass all of the 20th Judicial District, but logistical challenges prevented this until recently. “Personally, I have witnessed dozens of individuals break free from their addictions, obtain stable housing and employment, receive custody of their children again, help others in addiction, and help their communities. The fact that individuals in Sanders County now have this opportunity as well should excite everyone,” Judge Owen added.

“It’s the best thing I ever did as a judge,” retired district court judge James Manley said about instituting the program in Lake County nearly a decade ago. “It’s such an encouraging program. To see these people diverted out of the cycle of incarceration. To see them turn that around and get out of that cycle and get their addiction under control and get their kids back, get education, or complete a skills program. It’s a wonderful thing.”

“Every participant in this program will now have a well-planned path to recovery and healing guided by a team of professionals that want to help them succeed instead of giving up, feeling completely defeated and alone, and returning to a life that no one wants to live,” said Cynthia Neste, Clerk of District Court for Sanders County. “So many families are torn apart by addiction. I am honored to be a part of something that can bring families and the community together.”

JDADC is available to participants aged 18 or older charged with a felony offense related to drug or alcohol use or about to be revoked for non-compliance with their probationary order and having a history of alcohol and other drug use. They must be diagnosed with a substance use disorder, understand the rigors of the program and

agree to participate and pay drug court fees, and not have a significant violent or sexual history or history of significant and substantial drug dealing, according to Judge Owen. To date in 2024, about 10 defendants would have been eligible for the program from Sanders County.

Participants are approved for the program by Judge Owen, the prosecutor and the defense attorney. Judge Owen stated that the 20th JDADC only serves high risk and high needs individuals, which research has shown time and time again to be those that benefit most from drug courts. “These individuals are at high risk of relapse and high risk of committing new crimes. They are also high need — they have trouble getting or keeping a job, trouble parenting, and generally have issues being a productive member of society,” she said. In Lake County, the JDADC has about 25 participants on average. “Most of these individuals have issues with drugs, but about one third of the 20th JDADC’s caseload is DUI offenders,” Judge Owen said.

Manley explained that the original grant for the program came from the Gianforte Family Foundation. Now the program is fully stated funded, Judge Owen explained. “A mid-level drug case costs the people about $100,000, from policing, jail, court, prison, programs and probation. If there are 400 felonies, that’s $40 million,” Judge Manley stated. “A year in drug court costs about $4,000. If you can eliminate the majority of that, it saves the state money.” He said that after the program got going, the Lake County community was very supportive.

The drug court program spans 14-24 months and requires weekly meetings and random drug testing. They must attend substance abuse and mental health appointments at least weekly and must attend two self-help groups a week. “It can be a grueling schedule, especially for participants who are not used to having routines or really any responsibilities,” Judge Owen explained. “In order to graduate from the program, the participant must be sober for a

lengthy period of time. But, they also must mentor another participant in the program.” Participants have to complete a community project of at least 40 hours, be employed or in school and have a driver’s license. Judge Manley described some of the community projects that program participants were involved in, including collecting children’s books to give to community members, and several projects involving gathering Christmas presents for local kids. “Some did an afterschool program to provide a safe place for kids to go after school,” he explained. “One person was studying film so they did a video about the recovery community in the county and shared it with groups and schools. I found that one person would have the idea and then other people in the recovery community would help them.”

“Graduates of the 20th JDADC are not simply persons who abstain from drugs or alcohol, they are functioning members of society who pay taxes and contribute to society and their families,” Judge Owen added. “Having untreated individuals incarcerated or on the street creates a financial and safety burden on the community. This program not only educates and treats the participants, but it also gets them working in the community through acts of service,” Neste added.

When Judge Manley became a judge, he said he did an informal study in court and found that about 93% of the people he was sentencing were addicts and the average age at which they became addicts was 12 or 13. “Eventually I came to the conclusion that it was not a criminal court, it’s an addiction court,” he expressed. He wanted to help people get out of their addictions. “They need counseling, education, training, self confidence and a safe place to live. What it comes down to is they need hope.”

Manley stated that the secret to success they found in Lake County was people being part of a community. “We found that people need more support after they graduated from the program,which helped develop the requirement that they keep in contact monthly. They people that stayed part of the recovery community were successful,” he said. Manley said he is proud of Judge Owen, who was appointed to his seat when he retired in 2022, for expanding the program to Sanders County. “We’re lucky to have her. It’s going to keep getting better. She’s a good, caring person.”

The JDADC recently expanded to Sanders County. Drug court is held every other Thursday at the Lake County Courthouse, and Sanders County participants can attend in person or by Zoom.