Longtime Cobb Judge Extols Success of County’s Drug Court
October 5, 2009
Cobb’s Judge George Kreeger is proud of program’s 240 graduates since 2002
By Katheryn Hayes Tucker, Staff Reporter
(Zachary D. Porter/Daily Report)
In 30 years on the bench, Cobb County Superior Court Judge George H. Kreeger has heard every kind of case and sentenced people to life imprisonment and even death. He is stern, serious and a man of few words. Yet he says his most satisfying work has been in a role akin to a cheerleader, giving support and encouragement.That would be in his work as presiding judge of the Cobb County Drug Treatment Court, an 18-month pre- and post-adjudication program for nonviolent, first-time felony drug offenders similar to others around the state.
The requirements—along with staying sober and substance free—include counseling, group therapy, 12-step meetings, random drug tests and appearances before the judge in weekly Monday morning sessions.“I try to tell them they are doing a good job,” Kreeger said in a conversation in his chambers following the most recent drug court, adding that he tries not to leave out anyone who is sincerely following the rigorous program.
“For a lot of these people, it will be the first time in the world they have ever gotten any praise.”Kreeger said the program has a 70 percent success rate, compared to a 10 percent success rate for most voluntary programs.
Of course, drug court has the motivational advantage of sending people to jail when they fail to meet the requirements.Those who meet the requirements, including getting a job and paying back $2,400 in costs, graduate after 18 months—or longer if they have a setback and have to start over.
The rewards—in addition to getting off drugs—include having a clean record with no criminal charges, a fresh start.
Since starting in 2002, the drug court has graduated 240 participants.Graduations are held the first Monday of each month. The graduates, and sometimes their families, speak to the group about the difference the program has made in their lives and offer encouragement to the others. The program currently has 120 participants.
“The graduations are very moving. I cry every time,” said Kreeger’s longtime judicial assistant, Babe Atkins-Byrne, who he has known since grammar school in Cobb County.
Her support of the program was crucial because her husband, Bill Byrne, secured its initial funding when he was chairman of the Cobb County Commission.
“You can tell who the boss is,” Kreeger said. “She runs things.”
Kreeger is the second-most senior judge in Cobb County Superior Court, after Judge Dorothy A. Robinson, and he is “two weeks senior to Babe,” he said, noting that Atkins-Byrne had to work out a two-week notice at her law firm job before joining him in his judicial office.
Kreeger became a judge in Cobb County State Court in January 1979, appointed by Gov. George Busbee. In 1984, Gov. Joe Frank Harris appointed him to an open position on the superior court.Kreeger also served in the state House of Representatives from 1969 to 1976. Kreeger served in the House as a Democrat, but said he “hasn’t voted in a Democratic primary since 1983.”
He practiced law in Marietta for 13 years prior to his judicial appointment, following graduation from the University of Georgia Law School.
During his years on the bench, Kreeger has been involved in a number of high-profile cases. He tried the trigger man, Curtis Rower, in the notorious 1992 murder of Sara Tokars, an East Cobb suburban mom who was shot in her Toyota 4-Runner in front of her two small sons, then 4 and 6. Rower got life. Her husband, criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Frederic W. Tokars, also was convicted for her murder, along with racketeering, money laundering and drug charges, for which he received consecutive life sentences.
Kreeger recalled that the only defendant he sentenced to death—Jack Potts, for murder and kidnapping—died of cancer in prison before he could be executed.
Asked what his toughest cases have been, Kreeger replied, “custody.” Those are tough because it’s so difficult and so crucial to the children, he said. He once tried a custody case involving a baby girl that established precedent for not allowing a father to claim rights after having surrendered them. The girl grew up with her adoptive parents. Their attorney recently wrote the judge to say she had graduated from college.
Asked for his advice to lawyers appearing in his courtroom, Kreeger replied, “be on time.” He added, “and be prepared.”
He summed up his courtroom management philosophy: “I try to be calm and easygoing and let people try their cases with a professional demeanor.”
He said he believes going to court “needs to be a positive experience. People shouldn’t have to fear coming to a courtroom.”
Then he added, “I mean the attorneys. Criminals doggone better fear it.”
Staff Reporter Katheryn Hayes Tucker can be reached at Katheryn.Tucker@IncisiveMedia.com
Supporters: Drug Court Does Work
October 5, 2009
By Stephen Gurr
sgurr@gainesvilletimes.com
POSTED Oct. 2, 2009 11:30 p.m.
A national organization’s critical report on drug courts has supporters defending a system they say has reduced repeat offenses and improved lives by making substance abuse treatment a part of the judicial process.
This week the 11,000-member National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers issued “America’s Problem-Solving Courts: The Criminal Costs of Treatment and the Case for Reform,” a report that studied some of the nation’s 2,100-plus drug, DUI and mental health courts. Hall County operates four treatment courts that require participants to get ongoing court-monitored treatment for substance abuse or mental health issues. All but DUI court are voluntary.
The report criticizes drug courts that require participants to plead guilty to the underlying charge before treatment begins. In Hall County’s felony drug court, the criminal charge is dismissed and the conviction erased if a participant successfully completes the intensive two-year program.
The report claims that the system “results in dismissals for relatively few defendants.”
But in Hall County drug court, 91 percent of the people who have entered the program have successfully completed it and had their charges dropped, with 313 graduates since the program started in 2000. Only 4.9 percent of those who have completed the program have gone on to commit new offenses, a far lower recidivism rate than typical felony cases, according to Debbie Mott, Hall County’s director of treatment services.
Superior Court Judge Jason Deal, who oversees felony drug court in Hall and Dawson counties, disagrees with the report’s contention that drug courts should be operated without requiring a participant to first plead guilty.
Deal said one of the keys to the effectiveness of drug courts is that participants know if they don’t complete the requirements and are terminated from the program, the felony conviction stays.
“It gives willpower to folks whose willpower has been undermined by their addictions,” Deal said. Voluntary substance abuse treatment is less successful because “they can just walk away from private treatment,” Deal said. “They can’t walk away from drug court.”
The report faults treatment courts for operating with little input from the defense bar and claims most defendants aren’t adequately counseled on their rights.
Deal notes that local defense attorneys had equal input when the criteria and policies were first set for Hall County’s drug court under the leadership of Senior Judge John Girardeau. The drug court team includes a defense attorney on staff, and private attorneys can also advocate on behalf of their clients in court, Deal said.
Drug court participants meet at least twice with a defense attorney before making a decision on entering the program and are counseled extensively on their rights before pleading guilty, the judge said.
The report is critical of drug courts that have strict entry requirements and don’t accept high-risk repeat offenders, which it says are often those most in need of treatment.
In Hall County, participants in the felony court can only have one prior felony conviction and cannot have any convictions for violent crimes.
Federal requirements made when the court was started with Justice Department grants are part of the reason violent offenders are not allowed into the program, Deal said. But it’s also a safety precaution for drug court staffers who are not law enforcement officers, he said.
Also, high-risk offenders could not be mixed in with low-risk offenders and the latter still be successful, Deal said. Prosecutors who answer to the public also may be reluctant to dismiss charges against a person with multiple prior convictions, he said.
“This has to be something that all the different parties are willing to participate in,” Deal said. “It’s a collaboration between the defense, the prosecution and the courts.”
Advocates of drug courts take the biggest issue with what they say is an overtly political slant to the National Association of Defense Lawyer’s report. The report recommends decriminalizing low-level drug use and asserts that drugs should be a public health concern, not a criminal justice issue.
“The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers favors legalization of drugs, including methamphetamine, heroin and crack cocaine,” Chris Deutch, a spokesman for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, said in a statement. “Therefore, it is not surprising that it chooses to attack our nation’s most successful justice intervention for substance-abusing offenders: drug courts.”
Deal said the scientific data backs up drug courts. But some of their benefits to society are “incalculable,” he said.
People who were once a drain on the system become employed, taxpaying and responsible parents, Deal said.
Said Mott, “It’s just kind of hard to dispute when you see folks return to their families and becoming productive members of society.”
Said Deal, “I’ve got a box full of letters in my office and every one says, ‘Drug court saved my life; if it weren’t for drug court I’d be dead or in prison, I wouldn’t have stopped.’ So, it’s hard to argue with that data.”
Lawyer Has Strong Sense of Social Justice
September 21, 2009
By Jackie Ricciardi/Staff
Published September 14, 2009
Tanya Jeffords wanted more control of her time and career, so she decided to take matters into her own hands.
In 2008, the lawyer opened her own law office, Tanya Jeffords & Associates PC, at 418 Greene St. She wanted the flexibility to spend time with her family and have more time trying cases in the courtroom.
Mrs. Jeffords, 39, handles cases in criminal law, personal injury, family law, civil litigation, and employment and labor law. Criminal law makes up 50 percent of her practice. She is licensed in Georgia and South Carolina.
“I’m the first lawyer in my whole family,” she said. ”I think the law is a great profession. It allows you to be continuously challenged. I never get bored.
”My nickname is The Tiger.”
She said she was given that nickname by a client in her first murder case. He told her that she was aggressive in the courtroom. In her office, she displays a vase with a picture of a tiger on the front.
Throughout Mrs. Jeffords’ office are items representing the people and things that mean the most to her: faith, family and the law. Lining her desk and tables are photos of her husband, William Jeffords III, and her young son, William IV.
On the wall near her desk is a large poster that reads “World’s Greatest Mother Award” from her son. Being a mother is an important part of her life, she said.
Her Christian faith also plays a central role, as symbolized by biblical Scriptures and a colorful picture of several women dressed in church attire that hangs across from her desk. There are countless law books lining her bookshelf, in addition to the iconic symbol of the law: the scales of justice.
Lawyer Jacque Hawk has known Mrs. Jeffords since she was a college student. Today, she shares office space with him. Mr. Hawk said she is an “excellent attorney.”
“She’s already very, very good and has the potential to be unbelievable,” he said. “I consider her my protégé, and she considers herself my protégé. The thing about Tanya, Tanya is very smart. When you teach her anything, that’s it. She’s got it.”
When Mrs. Jeffords was starting at the public defender’s office, she went to Mr. Hawk’s office for advice on his trial techniques.
“I spent about two hours, and she utilized it in the next four or five trials and won every trial,” Mr. Hawk said. “I could do that with 50 other lawyers, and maybe one or two would get it as quick as she did and be able to do that.
”She was able to take what I taught her in a couple of hours, apply it immediately and get great results, which is rare.”
He would prefer that Mrs. Jeffords worked for him, he said, but he’s pleased that she has branched out on her own.
“I think it’s great for her,” Mr. Hawk said. “There’s some attorneys, you see them go out on their own and you know that’s a disaster. With her, she’s going to be fine because she’s very good with people, and she understands the legal process and the trial process extremely well.
“Those two things will make you successful, and she’s got those two things going for her.”
Faithful decisions
Mrs. Jeffords also has her faith to rely on, said the Rev. Sam Davis, her pastor at Beulah Grove Baptist Church. He has known Mrs. Jeffords for more than 10 years.
“On a scale of one to 10, let’s give her a 12,” the Rev. Davis said. “It’s just her personality and her commitment to people. Tanya has an unusual love for people. That has really impressed me over the years.”
Another commitment she makes is to Bible study, which she attends noon Wednesday despite her busy schedule.
“She’s always kept prayer in the midst of all of her decisions,” the Rev. Davis said. “She talks about the struggles, but Tanya seems to move right through them because of her personality and her commitment to the Lord.”
He has seen Mrs. Jeffords in action with her son and her “adopted son,” Tavarus Patterson, 20.
“Tanya loves children, and the little child they have now, he’s the center of their life. The love that she has for her children just overflows into love for other children,” the Rev. Davis said. “In addition, … Tanya is a family-focused person. She loves family. It’s such a beautiful sight to see a young person with such a fantastic career in front of them that loves the Lord as much as she does.”
The pastor said that he can count on Mrs. Jeffords’ legal expertise “whenever there is need at the church.”
“Tanya is always the first person that I look for. She has given me free consultation ever since she has been a part of the church. That speaks volumes,” he said.
Hard work
Mrs. Jeffords grew up in Milpitas, Calif., the youngest child. In her close-knit family, she had four sisters and one brother, and a foster child also lived in the home. Her mother, Arnetta Flowers, was the head of the household.
“Family is very important to me because of that. We didn’t have much money, so actually I went to work at 14 years old so that I could help my mom,” Mrs. Jeffords said. “I tried to be as independent as I could at a young age so that my mom wouldn’t have to worry. She worked seven days a week and three jobs.”
Mrs. Jeffords’ first job was working as a store clerk at a convenience store, TGNY, which is similar to Family Dollar. Mrs. Jeffords said that she learned about work at an early age.
“You have to work hard. That’s what it takes to get where you want to go,” she said.
In high school, she knew that she wanted to be either a lawyer or a fashion designer.
“Somebody told me that it was 11 years to become a lawyer, and I just was not going to school that long. I was always designing clothes and sewing, so I went to design school right out of high school,” Mrs. Jeffords said.
She attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in San Francisco. After completing her studies, she moved to Los Angeles and worked for several years in the design industry.
“It was wonderful,” she said. “I had a good time.”
In 1992, Mrs. Jeffords moved to the South to earn a business degree. Her mother and stepfather lived in the Augusta area, and she wanted to be closer to her stepfather because he was ill.
“I ended up deciding to go to law school instead (of getting a business degree). I changed my whole career path,” she said.
Mrs. Jeffords enrolled in classes at Augusta State University and earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science and sociology. She graduated from law school at Mercer University in 2001 and passed the bar exams in Georgia and South Carolina.
“I got married the same week that I graduated from law school,” Mrs. Jeffords said. “I got married on Thursday and I graduated from law school on Saturday. Right on the Savannah River.
”I wanted to make a commitment to my family first and my career second, and that’s why I did that.”
She has been married for eight years.
After graduation, she worked for two years as a federal judicial law clerk for Judge Louis Sands in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia in Albany.
“I didn’t like doing the criminal law at that point, and it’s so funny that’s what I do now,” she said.
In 2003, she returned to Augusta and got a job at Fulcher Hagler LLP, where she concentrated on personal injury defense and railroad litigation defense.
Still, Mrs. Jeffords wanted to get more trial experience and to help people, so she decided to take a position at the public defender’s office in 2005. She worked there for three years.
“I was able to try numerous serious felony cases, including murders, armed robberies,” she said.
Art Davison, a lawyer at Fulcher Hagler, worked with Mrs. Jeffords for several years.
“Tanya had always wanted to spend a lot of time in the courtroom,” Mr. Davison said. “She’s certainly a very bright and delightful person. We knew she would do well.
“Tanya is a person who’s always looking for challenges, and she’s been successful in meeting those challenges. She’s a pleasure to work with.”
In business
In March 2008, Mrs. Jeffords decided to go into private practice. Her son had been born in 2007, and she wanted to spend more time with him.
“The whole purpose of going into private practice was that I did not want my son to be raised by the day care,” she said. “I wanted to be there and have the flexibility. …
“Plus, I wanted to get back into the civil arena because I was doing all criminal. I like the balance now between the civil litigation and the criminal work.”
Mrs. Jeffords loves her job.
“I enjoy practicing law,” she said. “I love to try cases. That is the most challenging and best experience for me, and I like helping people.
”That’s what you do as a lawyer. You’re helping people with their problems. You’re the person going with them through a tough time.”
Being her own boss, Mrs. Jeffords has the freedom to pursue areas of law that she finds interesting. She is now the defense attorney for drug court.
“That’s one of the things that I enjoy most about being in private practice,” Mrs. Jeffords said. “I have a contract to work with drug court and people who are trying to get their lives on track, but they’ve been charged with felonies.”
She goes out to interview indigent clients and acts as their advocate to get into drug court if they can’t afford an attorney, she said. She attends court every Thursday. Mrs. Jeffords also sits on the drug court team, which creates the process for getting into drug court, she said.
“I wouldn’t be able to do that if I weren’t in private practice,” she said.
During her last year in college, Mrs. Jeffords worked with Mr. Hawk as his bookkeeper and paralegal. When she was about to leave for law school, he bought her a framed picture of the first black senator and representatives and said that she was going to be the next senator.
When she started her own practice, she sought Mr. Hawk’s expertise. She says he is one of the best criminal defense lawyers in town. She frequently asks him questions so that she can continually improve as a lawyer, she said.
The biggest challenge is being a business owner.
“I personally would like to just try cases, but you have to do both,” she said.
In June, Mrs. Jeffords argued her first case before the Supreme Court of Georgia. It was an appeal for a murder trial, the State of Georgia v. Richard Gonnella. She’s still waiting for the results.
Mrs. Jeffords has a busy schedule, so she relies on “preparation and the power of prayer.”
“I just take it day by day and week by week, but my first priority is to my husband, my child, my business and then helping kids to achieve their dreams,” Mrs. Jeffords said. “The best part of the day is my son’s smile and kiss. It’s pretty awesome.
“It’s hard being a mom, wife and a trial lawyer. A lot of the successful women, particularly African-American women, they’re not married.
“I try to be cognizant of what’s around me and do what I can to do it differently, by keeping my family as the center. I feel lucky to be pursuing my passion and my purpose in my life in every area, including my work.”
Building dreams
One of Mrs. Jeffords’ passions is helping young people. She is the president of Dream Builders of America’s Youth Inc., a nonprofit organization that she helped start in Albany in 2002.
“The reason we started was that I had a mentee who was living with me, and I realized that she just didn’t have a lot of confidence,” Mrs. Jeffords said. “She talked herself out of everything she could possibly achieve in life before she even made one step forward. I realized a lot of young people lack confidence.”
Dream Builders is launching a program called the Frederick Douglass Mobile Reading Room.
“Our goal is to work with pre-K to develop in them a love for reading. If the kids don’t know how to read, they’re the ones most likely to drop out of school and commit crimes,” Mrs. Jeffords said.
Dream Builders has a group of 25 student ambassadors from the Augusta area. The organization takes them on a college tour and helps them prepare for SAT and ACT. They go on a tour of the State Bar of Georgia and other activities.
The organization is starting a 12-week program at Murphey Middle School.
Two years ago, when Tavarus Patterson didn’t have anywhere else to go, he went to live with Mrs. Jeffords during his senior year in high school.
Today, Mr. Patterson is a sophomore chemistry/pre-pharmacy major at the University of South Carolina Aiken. He hopes to be accepted into pharmacy school next year.
He earned excellent grades before he met Mrs. Jeffords, but he said she has been a good role model.
“I call her my mom. She’s really, really sweet. She’s really good and caring. She tries to help people out as much as she can, and she doesn’t think of herself,” he said.
In the next 10 years, Mrs. Jeffords wants her private practice to allow her to “be there for the important events in her son’s life.” She wants to try to win as many cases as possible, both criminal and civil.
Mrs. Jeffords hopes to add to her family.
“I would love to adopt a baby and become foster parents in the future for young children,” she said.
Reach LaTina Emerson at (706) 823-3227 or latina.emerson@augustachronicle.com.
Juvenile Court Program Provides Troubled Parents with Tools for Recovery
September 21, 2009
By Jan Skutch
Published September 20, 2009
FEW THOUGHT MS. Q COULD PULL THIS OFF.
The 27-year-old mother of three was battling a long-term cocaine abuse problem that threatened to take away her family – throwing three children into the already over-taxed foster-care program. But on this day, Chatham County Juvenile Court Judge Patricia Stone and her Family Dependency Treatment Court team are celebrating the mother’s apparent victory over her substance abuse and the return of her children “with conditions.” She has been clean of drugs for 483 days and counting.
“There were times when I begged and pleaded with you,” Stone told Ms. Q. “But look at you now.”
She has been pro-active in getting her children to the eye doctor, working with credit counselors, completing glossy-looking schedules for her children’s activities and preparing a resume and cover letter for a future employer.
“That’s what good moms do,” Stone said. “I’m so proud of you and all that you have accomplished.”
Because these discussions involve deprivation hearings, which by law are closed to the public, Stone closely guards the confidentiality of the participants. The Savannah Morning News will do likewise to protect confidentiality of them and their children by identifying participants only by an initial.
Read essays written by two graduates of the Family Dependency Treatment Court
Hard work
Ms. Q was one of the doubtful cases the court faces. Her lengthy substance abuse history – including several failed past treatment regimens – along with a history of bad associates, domestic abuse victimization and almost zero parenting skills made her a likely candidate to fail.
She is, however, an example of success in a court that prides itself on taking only the tough cases.
Stone started the court in January as a civil forum that only deals with volunteers – those who want to overcome drug and/or alcohol use and keep their children.
Stone and her team combine cheerleading with intensive support programs while keeping the possibility of consequences, including sanctions, to re-establish limits to behavior.
Many of these parents have never received a pat on the back, something the court tries to correct.
Since January, 18 parents have been enrolled – representing 63 children and grandchildren, said court coordinator Jean Newton-Cottier.
Five have graduated and seven more are working toward graduation, she said.
Team members work with participants to deal with hurdles and to produce stable, clean and healthy parents.
“Our goal is permanency for children …what’s best for that child,” Stone said.
Once in, Stone said, “I won’t let them drop out.”
“If you cannot do it in this program, with all of the extensive services and support, then you probably are not able to parent your children.”
A model program
The numbers are chilling.
In cases of child deprivation, initial reports show that at least 54 percent resulted from the substance abuse of the parent or caregiver.
An additional 15 percent are found to involve substance abuse.
Stone said she and her team think as many as 95 percent of deprivation cases are related to substance abuse.
The court offers an intensive program to break the cycle of addiction in the families.
It is a drug-court model, one of eight in Georgia.
It is a 12- to 18-month program in which a team of experts and volunteers work closely with participants to achieve weekly specific goals designed to beat the abuse and instill needed life and parenting skills.
Stone as a cheerleader
“I want you to ask questions, to be proactive,” Stone encourages participants during court sessions. “Take control of your life. It has to be a lifetime, forever change.”
Lee Hooper, a retired businessman who serves as community advocate for the team, urges participants to think positively when they prepare required resumes. “When you put a resume together, think where you want to be, not where you have been,” Hooper urges a participant during a session. “You’ve got a lot of attributes.”
Dealing with past or continuing substance abuse problems is constant for the group, but individual participants may often face problems surrounding relationships with boyfriends, drug relapses or financial crises.
Often participants face problems in other courts, some criminal, and some in neighboring counties.
Standing firm
Stone often must assume a mother-figure role.
Ms. K has been doing well, staying clean from drugs for 144 days. But her husband is incarcerated, and she must be making decisions for when he is released.
“What are you going to do when your husband gets out?” Stone asks.
“How are you going to handle yourself? Your daughters deserve to have at least one clean and sober person, and that’s going to be you.”
Another, Ms. S, a 25-year-old mother of three, is having issues with her son.
“Don’t be a big push over,” Stone tells her. “(Your son) doesn’t need a friend. He needs a mom… Just say no.”
Team input encouraged
Stone meets with her team members each Tuesday in a conference room at the court. Exchanges between team member are at times spirited when discussing the progress of individuals who will appear before them in Stone’s courtroom later in the day.
Stone encourages team members to give their input, but she will be the final word.
In court, participants come with a white, loose-leaf binder – the FDTC Handbook.
It will accompany them through their journeys, providing schedules and other materials needed to meet the court’s requirements.
Success in small bites
Not all cases end well.
Ms. N, 30, is the mother of six. All but the youngest suffer from the effects of her use of cocaine, marijuana and alcohol.
She has been a particular challenge to Stone and her team members.
This day, she enters the courtroom from the front, dressed in shackles and Chatham County jail greens.
Attorney Leo Beckmann Jr., a special assistant attorney general representing the Department of Family & Children Services in the court, can be quite direct during pre-court staffing sessions.
This day, he brings his concerns into the courtroom.
“I am disappointed with the way you’ve been conducting yourself,” Beckmann tells Ms. N. “It’s put your children in a real tenuous situation. We are all just really disappointed in you, and your family’s disappointed in you.”
He explains she is only asked to obey a few simple rules.
“It’s the fact you’ve got to do it … It’s responsibility.”
The woman quickly retorts, “I raised my kids. Can’t nobody take that away from me.”
“I’m putting you on notice if you don’t change, your kids are not coming back to you,” Beckmann replies. “You need to start following the rules, but you can’t parent children if you’re sitting here in shackles.”
Stone has watched the exchange and has had enough.
“Regardless of what happened in the past, you get to choose whether you get your children back,” she admonishes.
“I’m done talking to you (today). I know what I’m going to do, go back (to jail) with the deputy. … I’ll see you next week. You better have a different attitude.”
By the following week, Ms. N has again fallen short of the mark, Stone informs her team during staffing.
She has failed to own up to a failure to make payments in Magistrate’s Court on some checks. Department of Family & Children Services officials have filed a motion to grant custody of one of her children to another family member until age 18.
That becomes the case several weeks later, with Stone calling it a “sad day, a very sad day” even as she assures the new parent of the court’s support if needed.
“I am very disappointed that you didn’t do it, but you made your decisions,” Stone tells Ms. N.
What would seem like a glaring defeat has a silver lining. Stone points out that the court program allowed them to keep Ms. N “Clean (from drugs) long enough to have a clean baby” – the first of her six to be born clean.
Excuses don’t work
Other participants fall somewhere between Ms. Q and Ms. N.
Ms. A, 36 and the mother of seven, has tested positive for a banned substance during a home visit by Deputy Sheriff Ron Robinson and his team.
“She absolutely denies the use,” attorney J. Michael Love, who represents the participants in the court, tells Stone.
The judge warns the woman she faces double sanctions if her use is proven.
“I haven’t done anything,” Ms. A tells the court. “I know I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I love my son.”
Her behavior convinces the team Ms. A needs more, not fewer, treatment sessions, citing what they call “relapse behavior.”
Another participant, Ms. D, got caught selling her food stamps for $11, a sale she said was motivated by her attempt to help someone else.
But the mother of two who is battling cocaine and marijuana abuse concedes she did not want to appear empty-handed at her 1-year-old son’s birthday party and used the money to buy a cheap toy for the occasion.
“There is no excuse for bad behavior,” a stern Stone tells her. “You have to make good choices all the time.”
Ms. A is working through problems, including a custody battle in a neighboring county.
But Stone is impressed with her efforts.
“What I’m impressed with is how much, by your demeanor, you want the children with you,” Stone said, urging her not to give up.
“I know what I have to do, and I’m going to do it,” comes the reply.
Family Dependency Treatment Court team members
– Jean Newton-Cottier, court coordinator and Chatham County Juvenile Court Judge Patricia Stone’s right-hand in the court.
– Attorney J. Michael Love, a private practitioner who represents parents in the program.
– Attorney Leo G. Beckmann Jr., a private practitioner serving as a special assistant attorney general representing the Department of Family & Children Services.
– Charlotte Rehmert, director of the Court Appointed Special Advocates, and Lysbeth Cook, advocacy coordinator, who represent the rights of children in the court.
– Yolanda Parker, Tamika Williams and Ed Hines, Department of Family & Children Services case workers
– Brook Newberry and Leslie Backus, who are with Recovery Place Inc., a substance abuse treatment provider.
– Herb Smith with the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless.
– Chatham County Sheriff’s Deputy Ron Robinson, who oversees the community policing team that conducts home inspections for the court.
–Community advocate Lee Hooper, a retired businessman who volunteers to give the court a community perspective and serves as Judicial Citizen’s Review Panel liaison.
– Rose Grant-Robinson, community outreach for Savannah Area Family Emergency Shelter Inc.
– Lori Loncon, Stone’s staff attorney
– Mary Tyson, Stone’s administrative assistant
Published May 21, 2009
ABCAugusta.com
http://www.nbcaugusta.com/news/local/45787887.html
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Nearly 50 drug addicts are celebrating their commitment to come clean. As part of National Drug Court Month, Augusta’s program honored its participants on Thursday.
Each week, The Augusta Judicial Circuit Drug Court recruits drug addicts who want to turn over a new leaf.
“It’s a system of checks and balances. We see them every day and we screen them on a regular basis each week,” said Judge James Blanchard, Drug Court.
A system that’s helped one addict turn his life around.
“It’s much harder for me now that I’ve relapsed, but I’m peaking over the whole. I’m getting over it. It’s something that I want with all my heart and soul,” said a participant.
Judge James Blanchard helped start drug court last August as a way to help addicts become clean and stay out of the prison system. Participants are given strict rules to follow during the two year period.
It includes a curfew, drug testing several times a week, counseling every day and a visit with the Judge every week; rules that have serious consequences if broken.
This mom says it took a few trips to jail before her son realized he had reached rock bottom.
“It was the fact that he was facing at least 20 years, and he was taking a good hard look at himself,” said a mom.
Her son’s only been in the program for a month, but she says it’s already making a difference.
“He’s getting his life together. I have good hopes that after the two years he’ll be on his way to being a productive citizen,” said a mom.
Judge Blanchard says drug court has a 70 percent success rate. Once participants complete the program, their charges are dropped. Then, they’re required to get background checks every year for five years to make sure they haven’t been arrested.
Georgia’s Tough New DUI Law Takes Effect July 1st!
July 1, 2008
Georgia’s Tough New DUI Law Takes Effect Julty 1st
For Immediate Release
July 1, 2008
For more information:
Jim Shuler, Public Affairs
404-656-6996
jshuler@gohs.ga.gov
(ATLANTA) This year the July 4th holiday falls on a Friday.. And for some, it’s just another summer six-pack tradition to kick-off an entire weekend celebrating the consumption of adult beverages. That means July 4th is the second most dangerous night of the year on our highways. Too many party-people decide to leave their designated drivers behind at the barbeque and a dozen Georgians will die in alcohol-related crashes during the July 4th weekend.
But as of July 1st, Georgia has a tough new DUI law on the books that Georgia’s DUI cops will be enforcing on the roads! And it’s here just in time to kick-off Georgia’s Operation Zero Tolerance statewide DUI crackdown.
During the 2008 legislative session the Georgia House and Senate passed House Bill 336, creating a felony-level DUI charge for those repeat offenders who’ve stacked up four drunk-driving convictions on their ten-year driving record rap-sheets. With this change in Georgia law, multiple DUI arrests can now lead to felony convictions against Georgia’s worst case high-risk violators.
Long-awaited by DUI crash victims and grieving family survivors, HB 336 is truly regarded as lifesaving DUI law for Georgia. “This landmark legislation carries heavier fines, mandatory offender evaluations and jail times, stricter probation, and longer community service penalties,” said Director Bob Dallas of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS). “It should make any responsible driver think twice before ever climbing behind the wheel while impaired.”
For the first time, Georgia’s new DUI Law requires first time offenders to undergo drug and alcohol evaluation. And if that evaluation deems necessary, the offenders must participate in strict, court-supervised substance-abuse treatment to decrease the likelihood of recurring offenses. (Under the old law, drug and alcohol evaluations were only required for second and subsequent offenses.) But when those DUI offenders have been convicted a fourth time, the law is designed for public safety priorities to kick-in with mandatory felony jail time for violators.
Even while it was still pending, this visionary legislation already had the endorsement of GOHS, MADD, and the State District Attorney’s Association. Bill sponsor, State Rep. Kevin Levitas (D-Atlanta) is himself a former prosecutor who perceived the random fatalities involving drunk drivers as more dangerous to the public and more frequent than the murder rate. “Sadly in murder cases, victims and perpetrators often know each other. But there is this randomness to DUI deaths where a car just suddenly crosses over lanes of highway and without warning kills someone on their way to church or school,” said Rep. Levitas.
“Until HB 336 was passed, even four-time shoplifting offenders were treated as felons under Georgia law, but a fourth-time DUI was still just a misdemeanor here,” said MADD-Georgia State Executive Director Denise Thames. “Georgia was one of only five states left with no DUI felony law. Now we have serious consequences for those repeat offenders. A third time DUI offender needs a tough message and it should include more than just a few days of jail time.”
“Few people realize there’s research that shows people drive drunk 87 times before being caught for one DUI,” said Rep. Kevin Levitas. “Just try to calculate in your head how many times these multiple offenders may have driven drunk before they were caught the fourth time and charged and convicted under the old law. It’s time we got their attention.”
Georgia’s new felony DUI law applies to offenses occurring on or after July 1, 2008. Under its provisions:
- First and Second DUI Convictions are treated as misdemeanors..
- Third DUI Convictions are treated as high and aggravated misdemeanors..
- Fourth or Subsequent Convictions committed within ten years are treated as felonies..
(PAGE TWO)
The following is a summary of HB 336 and not meant as a technical interpretation of the law. For a full reading of the actual statute see the OZT news conference feature on our website at www.gahighwaysafety.org
First Time DUI convictions carry these penalties:
- Fines ranging from $300.00 to $1,000.00
A period of imprisonment from ten days to 12 months (judge may probate all but 24 hours of jail time)
- A minimum of 40 hours of Community Service for DUI at .08 BAC or above/
Or a minimum of 20 hours of Community Service for DUI below .08 BAC
- Completion of a DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Program
- A clinical evaluation and completion of any necessary treatment
- 12 months of probation, less any jail time served
Second Time DUI convictions carry these penalties:
- Fines ranging from $600.00 to $1,000.00
- A period of imprisonment from 90 days to 12 months (offender must serve 72 hours of actual jail time)
- A minimum of 30 days of Community Service
- Completion of a DUI Alcohol or Drug Risk Reduction Program
- A clinical evaluation and completion of any necessary treatment
- 12 months of probation, less any jail time served
Third Time DUI convictions carry these penalties:
- Fines ranging from $1,000.00 to $5,000.00
- Period of imprisonment from 120 days to 12 months (offender must serve 15 days of actual jail time)
- A minimum of 30 days of community service
- Completion of a DUI Alcohol or Drug Risk Reduction Program
- A clinical evaluation and completion of any necessary treatment
- 12 months of probation, less any jail time served
Fourth Time or subsequent DUI convictions carry these penalties:
- Fines ranging from $1,000.00 to $5,000.00
- A period of imprisonment from one to five years (offender must serve three months of actual jail time)
- A minimum of 60 days of Community Service
- Completion of a DUI Alcohol or Drug Risk Reduction Program
- A clinical evaluation and completion of any necessary treatment
- 5 years of probation, less any jail time served
The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is issuing this warning to party responsibly this July 4th holiday: During “OZT” police in Georgia will conduct major waves of concentrated patrols and sobriety checkpoints throughout the state from Friday, June 20, through Sunday, July 6, 2008 to protect innocent motorists and their families from DUI-drivers on our highways.
Whether meeting a few friends after work or traveling the holiday barbeque circuit, friends should never let friends drive drunk. Remember to designate a sober driver in advance – Before the July 4th festivities begin. What can you do to protect your family on the highway this holiday weekend? Your best protection against a deadly encounter with a drunk driver.. Is a buckled safety belt. So Buckle-up. Slow Down. Drive Sober.
The Family Dinner Deconstructed
February 7, 2008
About a decade ago, research started appearing on the family dinner, and the news was uniformly good.
Children who ate with their families were less likely to do drugs, smoke, have eating disorders or become depressed. They were better at reading, less likely to end up in the hospital for asthma and had better grades. And perhaps most shocking of all, in rare instances they could apparently demonstrate exemplary table manners. (Scientists have been unable to replicate this last finding on a consistent basis, however.)
Dads and moms across the country took note and began rearranging schedules. Meeting were canceled, work dinners declined, tuna casseroles purchased. It worked. By 2005, a study conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse — one of the country’s foremost advocates of the dinner hour — indicated that the number of teenagers who ate with their families had increased by a whopping 23 percent since the late ’90s.
Now, there is no doubt that dinner is a noble pursuit. But research on its benefits does raise a question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
In other words, does dinner itself offer some magical protection, or is something else going on?
David Dickinson, a professor of education at Vanderbilt University, says this remains an open question.
“It’s possible that some of these findings are occurring because the ability to organize a mealtime and come together may be just one indicator of a family that is intact and functional,” Dickinson says.
Basically, strong families are able to sit down together each night and eat, and strong families — rather than regular meals — produce healthy kids.
A Closer Look
Dickinson has done his own research on the family meal. Several years ago, he and a group of researchers from Harvard wanted to figure out why some kids learned to read early while others lagged behind.
They did this by looking at family routines, such as how often families read to their children, ate with their children and played with their children. When they started the study, Dickinson says the group fully expected that reading would be the most important contributor to early literacy.
Instead, Dickinson says, they found that mealtimes “were a much stronger predictor of how later development would go for children’s language and literacy development.”
And so that was the headline: Family dinner equals early reading.
But as Dickinson will tell you, if you looked more deeply at the research you might come to a different conclusion. It turns out that the verbal content of dinner was really important. The kids who did well didn’t just eat dinner with families, they ate dinner with families that maintained complex conversations rich with explanation and storytelling.
“When a new word was used — like ‘reptile’ — the parent that would stop and say, ‘You know, like a snake’ — or say something that would give the child a definition of what that meant, and those interactions were very powerful,” Dickinson explains.
Dinner provided an opportunity for children to be exposed to these language behaviors on a regular basis. But dinner in a more-limited verbal environment apparently didn’t have the same effect.
And this kind of thing is true in a variety of studies on dinner. While the headlines tout the power of sitting together over a plate of meatloaf, often when you look beneath the surface, the clarity of that picture muddies.
Barbara Fiese, a professor at Syracuse University, produced a study which indicated that children with asthma who ate dinner with their families were less likely to end up in the emergency room. But as with the Dickinson study, it turned out that the specific behaviors that the families engaged in were critical to producing this result.
In order for the family dinner to have a benefit, parents had to demonstrate interest in a child’s day, regularly express empathy, and organize the dinner in a fairly specific way, such as assigning roles like table setting and making sure that family members began and finished dinner at the same time.
So is it possible for a dysfunctional family to sit down together each night and benefit?
“They can if the meal is conducted in a way to support healthy development,” Fiese says.
Don’t Dismiss Dinner
While it may be that the good news on dinner is premature, it’s also too early to dismiss the possibility that the meal itself substantively contributes to family well-being.
To answer this question, researchers need to do an experimental intervention where similar families are randomized into regular family meal groups and non-regular family meal groups. Thus far, no study of this kind has been undertaken.
In the meantime, as David Dickinson says, it’s probably a good idea to keep the dinner hour going. As he points out, dinner is one of the few times in modern life when families can sit down together, speak face to face, and build relationships. All things, he says, which simply can’t hurt.
Coming clean: Drug Court elevates seven graduates to sober futures
November 16, 2007
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Staff Photo: Luanne Dietz
Dr. Philip D. Schroeder of Grayson United Methodist Church speaks to the graduates and those in attendance Thursday evening during the Gwinnett County Drug Court Program Graduation about having courage to continue and the importance of a second chance.
By Josh Green
Staff Writer, Gwinnett Daily Post
LAWRENCEVILLE – It was a motley crew.A young mother. A bombastic party boy. Two aspiring rock stars. A former basketball player, a thankful immigrant and a teenage girl putting her tribulations behind her.But on Thursday night, the seven graduates of the Gwinnett County Drug Court each shared an optimism that had been clouded by addictions of various strains.“If I didn’t join Drug Court, I’d be dead,” said Julie, after tearfully accepting a diploma. Graduates’ last names are withheld to protect their identities. “I know I’m going to make it.”
The graduates – honored in front of an whooping auditorium audience – had each endured between 18 and 32 months of surprise searches, drug meetings and frequent urine tests. All were accused of nonviolent crimes involving alcohol or drugs.
And all had their charges dismissed as an added graduation perk.
“That is an awfully long time to really have your life under examination,” said Superior Court Judge Billy Ray, head of the Drug Court team. “Getting sober is not something you do on a solo flight. Drug Court is about giving people a chance.”
Sometimes dismissed as a too-gentle “hug-a-thug” solution, the program currently has 51 participants, Ray said. Its advocates said the program, modeled after 25 similar initiatives in Georgia, is more effective and personal than probation alone.
Started in January 2005, the local Drug Court has turned out 27 graduates. It gathers all sorts of enrollees, from waitresses to Gwinnett attorneys. To graduate, participants must be sober for at least six months.
Enrollees pay $200 in monthly fees, and the program doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime.
Another graduate, Marko, faced deportation if he slipped up in Drug Court.
“Thank you very much, Drug Court,” said Marko to the crowd. “You pretty much saved my life.”
One year after graduation, an offender is three times less likely to be arrested, and the likelihood of trouble only decreases from there, according to the Judicial Counsel of Georgia.
Dr. Phil Schroeder of the Grayson United Methodist Church, the evening’s keynote speaker, praised graduates for having the courage to overcome their demons.
“When you rebuild, you have to start by clearing away all the debris of the past,” Schroeder said. “Rebuilding takes courage.”
Senate Restores Drug Court Funding to $40 Million
October 5, 2007
Key Amendment to Senate CJS Appropriations Bill Matches
House-Approved Historical Mark
Washington, D.C. – The Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Bill for FY2008 came to the Senate floor today, and with the unanimous passage of an amendment first proposed by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), the drug court funding levels were returned to the historical average $40 million mark for the first time since 2005. Though the House of Representatives had passed the spending measure at the $40 million mark, the Senate Appropriations Committee had approved only $25 million for the Department of Justice (DOJ) Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program prior to Senator Dorgan’s amendment proposal.
“This is a great day for drug courts.” said NADCP Chief Executive Officer West Huddleston. “Today, Congress secured a second chance for hundreds of thousands of citizens caught in the cycle of addiction and crime, giving them and their families tremendous hope. This critical investment in drug courts will yield innumerable returns for thousands of communities across this nation such as improved public safety and civility by reducing drug dependence and associated crime one life at a time.”
Though historically receiving an average $40 million appropriation through the DOJ discretionary grant program, drug court funding suffered deep cuts in FY2006, falling 75% to $10 million, which was carried over in the Continuing Resolution for FY2007.
“We are deeply grateful to Senator Barbara Mikulski, Chairwoman of the CJS Appropriation Subcommittee, and Senator Richard Shelby, Ranking Member of the CJS Appropriation Subcommittee, for working with Senators Biden, Dorgan, Hagel, Levin, Reed, and Stabenow to include $40 million in the FY 2008 Commerce, Justice Science Appropriations bill for the Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program,” added Mr. Huddleston. “This incredible achievement could not have happened without the strong support of the over 34 Members of the Senate who signed a letter in support of $40 million for the program earlier this year. Those Senators include Senator Harkin and Senator Durbin both members of the CJS Appropriations Subcommittee. Drug court judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, treatment providers, administrators, probation agents and law enforcement officers throughout the nation joined forces with NADCP and worked tirelessly over the past nine months to demonstrate the necessity of restoring drug court funding. The Senate and the House listened and responded with overwhelming support.”
BY ALAN RIQUELMY
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While many courtrooms can be said to have a revolving door, organizers of the Muscogee County Drug Court hope that stops being the case for some in Columbus.
Today is the first session of Drug Court — an alternative to the prosecution, sentencing and prison time many defendants face in Muscogee County Superior Court. It’s different from a typical criminal court because those who plead guilty don’t go to prison — they go through treatment while out of jail.
And if they successfully complete the program, their convictions can be wiped clean.
“They call it ‘the courtroom drama,’ ” Judge Frank Jordan Jr. said of the weekly court procedures. “The participants all come and see who’s failing and who’s complying. That is a key thing — coming to court and either being praised or sanctioned by the judge.”
Muscogee County already has other “accountability courts” such as the Environmental, Mental Health and Juvenile Drug Court, but this is the first adult Drug Court for Columbus.
It starts with a referral to Larry Love, the Drug Court’s coordinator. He examines potential candidates for the court and sends them to Assistant District Attorney David Helmick, who is the program’s gatekeeper for the district attorney’s office, Jordan said.
If the district attorney thinks someone is a good candidate — a first or second drug offense that isn’t violent or related to trafficking or gangs — that person has the option to enter Drug Court.
Those who want to enter Drug Court sign a contract and pledge to remain drug-free. They also agree to attend a series of drug treatment classes and 12-step meetings over several months.
And, of course, the weekly Drug Court sessions.
“For example, someone signs the contract and enters Drug Court,” Jordan said. “Since then, he’s remained drug-free, attended all the meetings and he’s in compliance. If that’s the case, he gets a round of applause, or the judge comes down and shakes his hand. There’s some reward — positive reinforcement.”
Those who aren’t in compliance, the ones who fail a drug test or miss meetings, are punished. They may have to spend a weekend in jail or sit in court all day.
Drug Court is paid for by the participants. Attendees pay $500 over the first six weeks in administrative costs and $700 over six months for the Rediscovery Outpatient Substance Abuse Clinic.
Participants start out with two two-hour treatment classes and four one-hour 12-step meetings a week. As they progress through the program, participants’ classes and meetings become fewer and the payments become smaller.
The last six months of the program are less rigorous than the first, and the successful completion of Drug Court means the county has one less drug user.
Jordan said the court saves taxpayers the cost of prosecution and supervisory probation. The families of drug users will see that addicts are improving their lives.
“Those are the intangible but real effects that are hard to quantify and measure,” the judge said.
Jordan isn’t sure how many people will go through Drug Court. He said other courts have advised him and his team to take it slow.
Macon has about 150 people in its Drug Court, Jordan said. Glynn County has 270.
While the first session of Drug Court is scheduled for today, regular sessions will be held 8:30 a.m. Wednesdays.
