La Salle County drug court open for business, seats available

There are six participants in La Salle County’s drug court and room for another 14. They’re open for business and there are no plans to shut it down.

But the people tasked with court-supervised drug treatment have another message for La Salle County families who have loved ones struggling with addition: Don’t call and ask about how to enroll them — it doesn’t work like that.

The drug court remains relatively new — certified 19 months ago, the first participant accepted 14 months ago — and, collectively, county officials are trying to promote the program while also beating back some popular misconceptions.

“There’s definitely a misunderstanding of how the process works,” said Miranda Johnson, adult specialty court officer. “I do get phone calls from time to time inquiring, ‘How can I get my kid in this?’ ”

Answer: You can’t.

Drug court is not a vehicle for families to get help for loved ones struggling with addiction. Rather, it’s what’s called a “diversion court,” in which prosecution is deferred while the defendants gets supervised treatment.

It’s not open to just any offender. Illinois law regulates who’s eligible — example: absolutely no violent offenders — with the result that only a small cross-section of suspects can be accepted.

“We’ve had 50 referrals since we began this process,” said Selenia Arteaga, specialty court coordinator. “Many weren’t eligible for our program or went another route or their attorneys had better choices for them.”

Despite the low numbers, Johnson and Arteaga are pleased with the progress so far. So is La Salle County State’s Attorney Todd Martin, who said he’s committed to the presently grant-funded program and optimistic of being able to fund it after the grants have lapsed.

Though enrollment is small and drug court has yet to “graduate” a candidate, so to speak, Martin is encouraged one participant is a year clean and sober and another has been clean and sober for six months.

“This is not an easy track program,” Martin said. “Drug Court is an 18 to 24 month program with a statistical success rate of about 25%. We currently have two individuals that have progressed to the next level of the program. The program is progressing as anticipated.”

Martin also dismissed a perception — not widely-held, in his view — Drug Court will be phased out under his administration.

Drug Court was a divisive issue in the 2016 race for La Salle County state’s attorney. Republican Karen Donnelly prevailed and set about launching a drug court, finally achieved when certification was awarded in April 2020.

Seven months later, Martin succeeded Donnelly after a hotly-contested race. Martin said he never was opposed to Drug Court and never proposed halting it if elected.

“No one has ever asked me about drug court since I have been in office nor have I made any comments that would lead anyone to believe I have misgivings,” he said. “I support not just Drug Court but also other alternative courts and programs.”

He added later: “The 100-pound gorilla in the room is and always has been the cost of these courts or programs. If and when we come to a point where the cost is outweighing the benefit of the program then we will have to make decisions, however, we are not currently at that point.”

Short-term, court officials aren’t worried about funding or hitting the 20-person limit. The immediate challenge is identifying candidates and walking them through the cumbersome process of determining eligibility and seeking admission.

“What we have to do is consult with the client and explain how it works,” said Public Defender Tim Cappellini, “because it’s a very intensive program.”

Martin further noted the State’s Attorney’s Office does not recommend people for drug court. Rather, candidates are recommended by their defense attorneys or others and then screened for eligibility, which is again is dictated by state law, not local rules.

And all this presumes a first-time suspect wants court-supervised treatment.

“The biggest thing in my opinion that people need to understand is that if an offender does not want to participate in drug court,” Martin said, “there is little that I or anyone else can do to change that.”

And while he foresees the program growing, he won’t bend the rules to fill any seats.

“As I said earlier, I am not going to agree to everyone enrolling or amend charges to allow someone to qualify for the program simply to get the numbers up.”