For the past three years a program has been in place to help people, who are struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, turn their lives around.

It's called Drug Court.

District Judge Matt Reynolds said drug courts nationwide and worldwide are one of the most successful programs, in terms of recidivism rates, for drug rehabilitation for those who have been convicted.

"It's a team approach," Reynolds said. "Instead of an adversarial mode, we work for the good of the person and protect society."

Involved in Drug Court is defense attorney Lee Deschamps, Probation and Parole Officer Zachary Gerleve, therapist Athena Gassoumis, Chief Deputy Bruce Burwell, Surveillance Officer Jeff Fields and Judge Reynolds.

Prior to meeting every other week in Reynolds courtroom, the group meets and discusses the progress of each person enrolled in the program on an individual basis.

Burwell said the team went to out-of-state training prior to implementing the program. The drug court is designed to accommodate 15 clients at any one time.

"I like it because it gives each one individual attention," Burwell said of the how the court is conducted.

And, Fields conducts surveillance on those in the program to make sure they are complying with the requirements of the program and with their probation.

To successfully complete the Drug Court program, offenders will spend a minimum of one year working through the four phases of the program although it usually takes approximately 18 months to complete. And, because each participant is different, the program is tailored to meet the needs of the individual.

The first phase is a two-month process where the offender is on house arrest and is only allowed to leave for group meetings, court or doctor appointments, or to look for a job or go to their place of employment Reynolds explained. This phase of the program is meant to be a stabilizing period.

Part of process revolves around therapy and Gassoumis said they meet, as a group or individually, three times a week for up to nine to 12 hours.

The program is called Moral Reconation Therapy, or MRT, and is a 16-step program that helps participants figure out how to put their life back together.

"We have a lot of tools to give them, and try to equip them with the best coping skills," Gassoumis said. "We try to figure out the core issues and sift through their experiences and hope they come out on the other side."

Gassoumis explained that most of the time, the process takes about a 1-1/2 years to complete. Although there can be sanctions, it's not about punishment but more about redirecting them in a positive direction.

"We're their safety net and support," Gassoumis said. "We're asking them to do a lot."

Phase 2 covers a six-month period and, Reynolds said, is the heart of the program. This phase is a learning stage for an offender to understand the triggers and behavior behind their actions. Those who are participating in the program have group meetings three times a week. Working through this phase allows them to learn to avoid situations and people that could set them back, and to also think of their actions and possible repercussions.

Phase 3 is a "goal setting stage" where individuals can look toward the future and make plans on how they can achieve their goals. This stage of the program runs for two months and huge steps are taken at this point.

The final stage — Phase 4 — spans two months and it is here, in this final phase, that those who are in the program realize the gains they've made. Participants meet with the group only once a week, more if they choose, and appear in Drug Court only once a month.

"It's a big step," Reynolds said. "We are showing our confidence in them."

After graduating from the program, offenders come back before the court after three months and again after six months, which is encouraging for others just beginning the program.

"They give hope to others," Reynolds said of those who successfully complete the program.

Although Drug Court has had good success, Reynolds said, in order for it to work the person has to choose to make it work and over the long haul they have to have a good support system, whether it's Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous or church.

"We have our heartbreaks with people who continue to use or fall back," Reynolds said. "Relapse is common with alcohol."

Court Executive Officer Jason Jones said since the program started in 2008, 23 people have been in the program and six have graduated. He said there are nine in the program right now.

"When you take into account all the participants, we have an 89 percent retention rate," Jones said.

Even with those who have gone through and completed the program, Reynolds said, each person is still at risk even after graduation because they will always be recovering.

"The success can sometimes set them up for failure because they have lost touch with the danger of it (using)," Reynolds explained. "They become over-confident and think they can drink one beer or take one hit of pot or that they can go to a party and won't use."

Although people can falter and stay in the program, those who refuse to complete it are referred back to the sentencing judge, and unless they are accepted into at least a six-month drug or alcohol program they are usually sent back to jail.

"Sometimes there's a traumatic event like a death in the family that puts them over the edge, and then there's no going back and they're stuck," Reynolds said. "We try to give them a chance and help them out of the mud."

The judge said they take their success stories as they come but it really is impossible to predict what they will do with the rest of their lives. But each time they meet in Drug Court one thing they know for sure is that for the past two weeks, they did great.

"We'll take our small victories," Reynolds smiled.

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