Drug Court Observations

Drug Court is an emerging idea and program in Blount County and throughout the country. In Blount County, Drug Court exists as an alternative to jail sentences for those persons who have been convicted of crimes involving drugs. The crimes that these people have committed varies. The type of person sentenced to Drug Court also greatly varies. The Drug Court serves anyone who commits to going to treatment, becoming clean, and making a better life for themselves. Drug Court is a beneficial and effective alternative to jail sentences because it exists to empower individuals to be respectable members of their communities.

In Blount County, Drug Court meets on a weekly basis (usually Mondays at 8:00 a.m.). Client participation depends on the level he or she is at in the program. Some clients are required to make weekly court appearances (step 1), while others may only have to come every two weeks (level 3). Clients come to court to be assessed and evaluated by the judge. The judge meets with the other professionals prior to the court meeting to discuss the client’s progress. When the court is in session, the judge calls each client up, one at a time, and examines his or her progress. The examination is informal and the client is able to approach the bench without permission and talk fairly freely. The judge gives advice and expectations for the client’s continuing progress. After each client has been evaluated, the court is adjourned. The Drug Court program continues through the week with group therapy, rehab treatment, drug testing, and other more personal activities.

Professionals within Drug Courts are important to creating a safe and nurturing environment for the participants. The professionals can include the judge, the therapists, the district attorney, the public defender, and the court workers. The professionals work together to insure that the Drug Court clients overcome drug problems completely and feel like valuable community members as a result. The judge seems to be one of the key professionals in the Drug Court process. He is able to connect to the clients in a professional and personal manner. He also offers both therapeutic and professional advice to the clients. He acknowledges their individual struggles and works to empower the clients with what he sees as their strengths. Every professional involved with the Drug Court is crucial to the success of the program.

Similarly to professional involvement, the client’s active involvement in Drug Court is important to success of the program. The clients include those that have committed, been convicted, and are serving a sentence of Drug Court for a crime involving drugs. The clients in the Blount County Drug Court are one of the most intriguing aspects of the program. The majority of the clients do not fit the stereotype our society holds of convicted drug offenders. Most of society thinks of drug offenders as being poor, homeless, violence-prone, male, or of a minority race. However, the Blount County Drug Court proves this idea wrong. There are upper-class, white women in the program. On the contrary, there are also working-class, Hispanic men in the program also. The clients all exhibit at least a partial desire to succeed in the program, if not a full desire. The clients seem supportive and empowering of each other’s downfalls and successes. When one messes up, the others are accountable to him and learn from the mistakes they witness. Clients seem to want to help each other within the program.

Although the Blount County Drug Court aims to be a constantly empowering program, it is not always a haven of support and success. Recovery and rehabilitation are not easy for either the client or the professional. Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the program is when a client does not want to face their fears. Clients fear rejection from employers, spending time in jail as a result of a weekend drug fix, sharing their feelings within group settings, and confrontation with their families. The most hopeful thing for clients to overcome their fears has proved to be honesty. The judge acknowledges and appreciates client’s honesty. The counselors recognize fear and honesty as a part of the recovery process.

Drug Court is unique to the justice system. The court focuses on opportunity to change through rehabilitation rather than oppression of ability through incarceration. The atmosphere and attitude is primarily positive and encouraging, whereas regular court or jail can be disheartening and seemingly hopeless. The Blount County Drug Court should be applauded for their work at forming contributing and worthwhile individuals out of those people that society tries to slough off as impossible to change and worthless causes. Slowly but surely, Drug Courts are changing lives and empowering ALL members of society to have a positive outlook on their futures.

Oct. 16, 2000