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Sunday, December 02, 2007
Ind. Courts - Vigo County drug court featured
Deb Kelly of the Terre Haute Trib-Star has two stories today on the Vigo County drug court. The first, headed "Much of Vigo Drug Court work plays out behind-the-scenes," begins:
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.The second story, headed "Vigo County Drug Court participants work for improvement," begins: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.
During a recent court proceeding, the judge asked an offender if she had anything else to report.The young woman smiled shyly, saying, “I took my GED test.”
The judge, smiling, said, “My, you have had a lot of good news today — I think that deserves some popcorn.”
Several chuckles could be heard through the room, but Judge Barbara Brugnaux wasn’t kidding. Reaching across to her clerk, the judge took an unopened pack of microwave popcorn and handed it down from her platform to the young woman, saying, “Here you go. Keep up the good work. You’re free to go.”
The woman, returning to the gallery to retrieve her things before leaving the courtroom, smiled again as she made her way past the others waiting their turn.
The exchange took place during a recent session of Vigo County Drug Court; the woman, a participant in drug court, was checking in with the judge, who, along with a staff of case managers, coordinates the court.
Brugnaux presides over Vigo County Superior Court Division 5 – the court where most DUIs and drug offenses are heard. She spends each Wednesday morning calling up one by one her most recent flock of wayward drug addicts and alcoholics.
Brugnaux, who is often seen wearing a stern expression (and who is generally known in the courts for her strict adherence to courtroom decorum), breezes into the room for drug court each Wednesday with a cheery “Good morning!”
A chorus of voices returns her greeting; if they aren’t enthusiastic enough, she says again, “I said, good morning!”
It is a different atmosphere than found in most courtrooms – where victims, prosecuting attorneys, the accused, public defenders, and downtrodden family members usually sit quietly on hard benches waiting, with somber expressions, for any kind of news. Most criminal courtrooms are quiet, even when packed with people.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on December 2, 2007 12:44 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts