Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Montco drug treatment court retains accreditation
NORRISTOWN >> Montgomery County Judge Steven T. O’Neill said he’s gratified that the county’s drug treatment court which he spearheaded more than a decade ago and over which he presides has retained accreditation by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
“When we commenced in 2006, I had no idea of what kind of impact that this court of therapeutic jurisprudence could have on the lives of so many individuals suffering substance use disorders which led them into the criminal justice system,” said O’Neill, explaining the program has served more than a thousand participants, with more than 700 completing the court-supervised, longterm structured recovery program.
“Our drug treatment court is truly criminal justice reform in action. Instead of incarcerating individuals suffering substance use disorders, drug court allows them to save and change their lives while saving taxpayer dollars and keeping our communities safer,” O’Neill added.
The Supreme Court Accreditation Program for adult substance abuse treatment courts was developed in 2011 to recognize programs that follow “best practices,” according to administrators of the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.
The state’s highest court recently announced the Montgomery County Drug Treatment Court will retain its accredited status through November 2023.
Officials said the state’s accreditation report noted the local drug court’s pivot to deliver services virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The accreditation report also highlighted a new partnership with the Montgomery County Recovery Community Center for expansion of its mobile recovery services. The recovery center connects people with substance abuse disorders to services within walking distance to the county’s Adult Probation Office and the courthouse.
County officials said O’Neill is recognized nationally as a leader in the training of other drug court administrators, earning the county’s treatment court the distinction of being a mentor court for other jurisdictions.
“I commend Judge O’Neill on his dedication to making sure our residents are provided due process and wraparound services while also maintaining our drug court’s status as a model among our peers,” said county Commissioners’ Chairwoman Dr. Valerie A. Arkoosh. “We are extremely proud to have our drug court accredited for the second time, and we look forward to continuing to support the courts to maintain this designation.”
The drug court was first accredited in November 2016.
The Montgomery County Drug Court Program, established in April 2006 and funded by the county commissioners, is an innovative approach to disposing of drug-fueled criminal offenses in a way that offers participants intensive help to fight their addictions, encourages them to change their lifestyles and offers them the opportunity to earn a dismissal of the charges against them or to have their court supervision terminated early.
Participation in the program, which is voluntary, is at least 15 months long and may last as long as three years. The length of the program depends on how well an offender succeeds in dealing with the addiction and becoming a productive, crime-free citizen. The program typically has 130 participants at any given time.
The drug court program uses the cooperative team approach and court review sessions of a treatment court, rather than traditional adversarial proceedings of criminal court. The goal is to have a program and environment that is both supportive and forces offenders to confront their addictions. It is designed to encourage the participant’s movement away from an addictive lifestyle but swiftly imposes consequences when the participant returns to addictive behaviors.
Under the program, the drug court treatment team - consisting of probation officers, treatment provider representatives, the judge, a defense lawyer and a prose
cutor - meets weekly to discuss an offender’s progress and to develop an individualized strategy to assist an offender in dealing with their addiction.
Participants are under the supervision of, and regularly report to, a drug court probation officer. Offenders must voluntarily comply with all of the general conditions of supervision implemented by county probation and parole officers, including treatment and frequent, random drug testing.
Those who slip up in the program face punitive sanctions including brief jail stints, writing assignments or community service.
As part of accreditation, drug court officials provide data, participate in interviews, and accreditors observe operations. Montgomery County Adult Probation & Parole, the District Attorney’s Office, Montgomery
County Court of Common Pleas, and the Montgomery County Correctional Facility all participate in the drug court accreditation process.
Renewal of accreditation is a three-step process which begins with a review of program documents and the team training log. Step two is a site visit to observe the team meeting and court session, and to conduct interviews of the judge and program coordinators. Step three is the generation of a report of the observations and any significant changes to the court since it was initially accredited.
State officials noted that the county’s treatment court met key components for accreditation including the integration of alcohol and other drug treatment services with justice system case processing and using a non-adversarial approach with the prosecution and defense promoting public safety while protecting participants’ due process rights.