LIVINGSTON COUNTY — The County has made strides towards fostering a safer and healthier community. For 10 years, the county has been providing an alternate outcome for people who have committed crimes involving alcohol and drug abuse.
The Livingston County Drug Treatment Court is sometimes used in non-violent crimes and offers the offender the opportunity to enter a rigorous treatment program in place of spending time in a prison.
The program has been effective in managing nonviolent crimes involving substance abuse.
“In my humble opinion, the Drug Court is an excellent alternative to incarceration, one which provides resources and assistance to defendants and their families that they may not have otherwise engaged in,” Amy Saeva, case manager of the Livingston County Drug Court, said.
Livingston County is working to lower the likelihood of recurring drug abuse problems in order to promote a safe community feeling.
Saeva said the court regulates the offenders who have a drug or alcohol problem in an attempt to stop the dangerous addiction cycles.
The program can be offered as either inpatient or outpatient, depending on the crime. Although the length of treatment differs for the various cases, it usually ranges from one year to 18 months, after which the victim is placed on probation. It’s seen as a way to prevent people from spending many years in jail, and instead allows them to get treatment.
Savea said that an offender voluntarily enters the program to receive treatment. Patients who receive outpatient care in the county usually report to the Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse of Livingston County. Those with more serious crimes usually are sent to inpatient care.
The Drug Court was started in February 2004. In the first year, the program handled 75 cases. Since then, the court has expanded its reach. The court has grown in order to help many people receive the help that they would not normally have access to in another situation.
In the last 10 years, the court has successfully graduated 133 patients.
The Drug Court has been a successful way of monitoring the progress and rehabilitation of drug and alcohol abusers. A committee made up of the case manager, various probation officers, district attorneys and judges supervise the patients throughout the entire treatment process and afterwards during the probation period. Members include Saeva, Judge Robert Wiggins and associates from the professional treatment community who oversee the rehabilitation and substance abuse-recovery process.
The committee helps coordinate treatment providers and monitor compliance with the rigorous rehabilitation course.
Saeva meets with offenders who report to court on a weekly basis for drug testing and to check in with their progress. At 3 p.m. Wednesdays, Saeva and the drug court team ensure that the offenders are keeping up with their treatment program.
“From what I’ve seen, it has been pretty successful in keeping these guys out of prison,” Sgt. Donald Lubanski said. He sees it as a better opportunity for people who have faced these problems.
This strict regulation presents the opportunity for the patients to receive more care and therapy than they would in a large state prison. The offenders get more one-on-one counseling, which has proven to be more effective than spending years in a prison without any substance abuse treatment.
“In Livingston County, we have had great success with numerous defendants completing the program successfully” Savea said.
However, the Drug Court is not simply a way to avoid a prison sentence completely. Patients who fail to comply with all of the established regulations or do not complete the entire program will be subject to another prison sentencing, which could in turn be much harsher than the original verdict.
Also, according to the New York State Problem-Solving Courts website, all of the state’s drug courts are locally based in order to best reflect the legal culture of the area. The most common cases are Driving Under the Influence charges. In Livingston County, violent and sexual offenses cannot be considered for the treatment program. However, the court does deal with both misdemeanor and felony charges.
Livingston County has both a criminal and family drug treatment court. The family drug court is focused on successfully helping addicts who have committed nonviolent crimes recover and reunite with their children. Savea said that since 2009 the court has added a Judicial Diversion program along with a Veteran Treatment Court track to continue to offer the necessary help to all of the citizens in Livingston County.
This program is also beneficial to the residents of Livingston County. Sending patients to treatment saves taxpayers money that would normally go towards jailing fees.
The main goal is to help people overcome their personal battle with substance abuse while also creating a safe community environment. It is not a one-person job to reach this goal, but instead a collaborative effort between both the offender and many court officers from various departments.
“Recovery is a lifelong process,” Saeva said. “We are trying to give them the structure to build sobriety.”