Submitted article
The statistical progress reports for the Crawford County Common Pleas Drug Court through the end of September are very encouraging and demonstrate the success of this Specialized Docket Court in meeting the challenge of opiate addiction in Crawford County. The Common Pleas Drug Court program was formed by Judge Russell B. Wiseman to enable Crawford County to participate in the Addiction Treatment Pilot Project (ATPP) together with Franklin, Hardin, Mercer, Allen and Hocking Counties. Judge Wiseman’s Program is the only Drug Court in Crawford County certified by the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Specialized Docket Section.
Measurement of the Drug Court’s success and the ATPP’s success is based upon data collected by Maryhaven, the primary treatment provider. That data is analyzed by the Begun Center for Violence and Prevention Research & Education at Case Western Reserve University. The Begun Center’s independent expert analysis will be used by the State of Ohio for future funding decisions regarding Specialty Drug Court dockets and medication assisted treatment.
Most participants in the Crawford County Common Pleas Drug Court are participating in medication assisted treatment, but many participants are not. The choice is entirely up to the participant. The participants are required to do individual and group counseling, random drug testing, and attendance at Drug Court twice a month. Beyond these requirements, participants are free to utilize any combination of recovery tools, be they faith based 12 step programs or medication assisted treatment. With expanded Medicaid in Ohio and the ATPP funding, virtually every person struggling with addiction in Crawford County can access the full range of treatment options in existence, making the participants personally responsible for their recovery.
Through September 2014, the Common Pleas Drug Court has had significant success, with 89 percent of the participants remaining in treatment for more than 180 days. During that same time, 97 percent of the participants committed no new offenses, and 94 percent of the over 650 drug screens done were negative. Furthermore, in this population of participants where it is often hard to secure employment, 50 percent were employed at the end of September 2014.
Based in these significant successes, the Common Pleas Court is expanding its Drug Court Program to include pre-conviction participants. In expanding this program, we will make needed resources available to citizens struggling with addiction so that they may rejoin the community of law-abiding, employed, tax-paying citizens. Continued success in this area will improve the lives of all Crawford County residents.