Centre County Commissioners voted to create a drug court back in November, which they believe will help combat the opioid and heroin epidemic, but now they’re searching for ways to pay for it.
Many look at a drug court as another tool, one Gene Lauri, the director of the county criminal justice planning department said, will fight drug abuse from the bottom up.
“This is not a program that is targeting high level dealers who come into the area and sell a lot of dope to make money,” Lauri said. “This is for people who come into contact with a criminal justice system largely because they were using in one way or another.”
Lauri is working with a group of Centre County officials to apply for a $400,000 36- month grant to implement the drug court, which would be similar to the county’s already existing DUI court.
“There are by-weekly visits to court before the judge, to be accountable for how you’ve been doing,” Cathy Arbogast, an assistant administrator at the county drug and alcohol office said. “It takes a much more therapeutic focus, an individualized focus in giving individuals to get back on their feet and get established again in recovery.”
Only non-violent, adult offenders would be considered for the program; officials are targeting probation and possibly parole violators – people who are at high risk to reoffend.
“I think it’s a critical piece of everything that we’re putting together,” Arbogast said. “There is no one tool that will solve this issue. Just as there is no one path to recovery for individuals who have a substance use disorder.”
These grants are very competitive and there is no guarantee the county will receive funding, but if they do, they will be notified in September with a goal to start the drug court on Oct. 1.
If awarded, the grant would only cover 36 months. After that implementation period, additional funding would be needed to continue the court.