Judge: Grant County’s new Drug Court to help citizens shed the shackles of drug addiction for good – iFIBER One News

EPHRATA - The war on drugs was declared decades ago, but the arsenal to combat personal addiction was thin, until recently in Grant County.

Presiding judges in Grant County Superior Court are touting a new program as the regions best bet in turning the lives of those whove let drugs run roughshod in their lives.

On Tuesday, Grant County announced a $366,667 grant from the Department of Justice to implement an Adult Drug Court Program. The program will divert non-violent felony offenders with substance use and mental health issues from incarceration into a closely supervised program with treatment and rigorous standards of accountability. The program combines rehabilitation with incentives and sanctions, including mandatory and random drug testing that incorporates aftercare.

Drug addiction touches all races, genders, and income levels. It affects all ages, from the very old, to those who havent even been born yet. It is a problem we should all be concerned about, said Grant County Superior Court Presiding Judge Tyson Hill.

Grant County officials say Judge David Estudillo, now a federal district court judge, was pivotal in getting the grant for the program.

We have found most property crime in Grant County involves an underlying drug addiction. This program wont just help the addicted get back on their feet, it will also reduce crime said newly appointed Prosecutor Kevin McCrae.

A study by the Department of Justice found that nationally, 84 percent of drug court graduates had not been re-arrested and charged with a serious crime in the first year after graduation, and 72.5 percent had no arrests at the two-year mark. These special courts have been operating in the United States for 32 years. Their effectiveness is well-documented. There are now 3,454 treatment courts and have served.

Not everyone will succeed, but many will. For those who want to get themselves out of the cycle of addiction fueled crime and incarceration, we will soon have a system in place to help them, Hill said.

Grant County Superior Court will conduct interviews within the next few weeks to hire the Program Coordinator and Program Assistant positions and it is anticipated that the program will begin later this year.

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Judge: Grant County's new Drug Court to help citizens shed the shackles of drug addiction for good - iFIBER One News