Dear Cynn and List(s),

I DO NOT AGREE.

"Drug court" is allowing criminal not just medically sick "addicts" to
forgo
incarceration. To me the outcome below is not economically feasible for there
is no way for $1,500 a year you can adequately monitor a drug addict with
"piss tests" and the necessary counseling needed:

1. Why are women who subject their unborn children to
street drugs not arrested on attempted manslaughter?
2. Why is this woman a "pothead" suddenly jumped up to
Oxycontin; did she not use anything else are we now to
believe smoking pot leads to Oxycontin abuse?
3. "Pot" is illegal, Oxycontin is legal. Again this is an
addict who broke the law. As in most states offer incarceration
and drug rehab within the prison; let the prisoner earn their
keep by doing work duty.
4. Ask any psychiatrist "addicts" are the hardest clients to treat.
This smack the hand approach is not making addicts
accountable; example:

a. In Texas if you rob anything you are arrested.
b. In Texas if you "repeat" more than 2 offenses
(small theft) you are a FELON and serve time.
c. The outcome of this is significant--Texas
recognizes petty thefts are committed by
addicts who need dope and are fixing.

5. You ask the addict and she says "drug court saves lives" let's
really get some information that the DEA fails to show us
throughout
the United States:

a. Those using Oxycontin legally who do not abuse,
who are healthy citizens, and who have clean records.
b. Those who die from taking Oxycontin as prescribed and
not tampering it.
c. The decrease in suicide, rehabilitation costs, disability
claims, and quality of life experienced by those in NIP
who utilize this medication and others like it.

Who cares what this woman says? I'd like to know the damage to her
latest child and why she has custody? I'd like to know if she is on probation
for her offenses (selling or purchasing such a drug is this not a felony), and
how clean she really is. Who cares what the addict states who really cares?

As long as the NIP client is ignored, abused, and undertreated this
idiotic war on the innocent will continue. We do not have to pay 15 to 20
grand a year to incarcerate; make these folks WORK within the prison
setting and pay their own room and board...

Peace,

Karen G.

In a message dated 5/22/2005 8:55:41 AM Central Daylight Time,
cynnyc@... writes:
Woman says drug court saves lives
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050521/NEWS01/
505210301/1002

Tracye Holt of Carriere thinks she would be dead if she wasn't one of
the 100 first-time, non-violent offenders participating in the
Forrest-Perry County Drug Court.

"This is the first time in my whole life that I've been clean a year
since I started using," she said.

Holt, 32, and a newly-certified nursing assistant, and 10 other
former drug users moved up to Phase 3 of the four-phase drug court
program Friday in a ceremony marking National Drug Court Month.

Holt started smoking marijuana at age 14 and by the time she was
arrested about two years ago was hooked on Oxycontin and other pain-
killers.

"I found out two weeks after I started the program that I was
pregnant," she said, cuddling - Meghan Holt, who is almost 4 months
old. "I have another child and I was using (drugs) while I was
pregnant with her and she had a lot of problems."

Instead of sending offenders to jail, the Forrest-Perry County Drug
Court provides treatment and intense supervision with drug testing
and weekly court meetings. Requirements ease as participants complete
each phase, a process that can take two to five years

"It costs $16,000 to $17,000 a year to incarcerate someone while it
takes about $1,500 to keep them in drug court," said Bob Helfrich,
the Forrest-Perry County Circuit Court judge who started the program
in October 2003.

"To date, we have four drug-free babies and June 22, we'll have
another one," he said. "Bottom line, drug courts not only save money
they save lives."

U.S. District Court Judge Keith Starrett started the state's first
felony drug court in 1999 when he was circuit judge in Lincoln, Pike
and Walthall counties. He estimates 80 percent of the 10,000 felony
cases he handled were drug-related.

"Drug court is not about coddling criminals," he said. "It's about
turning around lives of people who are worthy of second chances."

The Forrest-Perry County program is giving Oliver Howlett, a 35-year-
old maintenance worker from Hattiesburg, a second chance. Howlett
took advantage of Helfrich's invitation Friday to talk about the
program and its impact.

"Thank God for family," Howlett said. "Family is so good, especially
when family is caring and compassionate. Mama, I love you and I thank
you for loving me for who I am. I got some more people in my family
now. My family has expanded. Judge, you know you're my No. 1.

"Even the sheriff over there, he's my family," he said, pointing to
Forrest County Sheriff Billy McGee.

Howlett has been in the program since it began but hasn't moved to
Phase 2 yet.

"I had constant relapses, but they stuck with me," he said. "Getting
sober is harder than staying sober."

Drug court turned his life around, said his sister, Renee Clark of
Hattiesburg.

"This program makes sense," she said. "We can rehabilitate people and
keep them off the streets. Now he has a sense of purpose. He's
excited about life now."















FAIR USE NOTICE
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always
been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material
available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political,
human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues,
etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material
as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title
17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without
profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included
information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted
material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you
must obtain permission from the copyright owner.


Thank you. The O.C.P.M. Staff



Yahoo! Groups Links




Karen Hallenbeck-Sikorsky-George BS,RN,UM,QC

http://hometown.aol.com/anewplanforyou
http://hometown.aol.com/anewplanforyou/sb.html


Owner-Moderator
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ADayWithoutPain/
"ADayWithoutPain"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AnAnGeLInPain
"AnAnGeLInPain"

Ya'll are special you truly are, and to be the
catalyst for this group is a miracle for I know
in my heart that God's will created this group(s)
and each of you are very very special to me, always
no matter what I AM SO PROUD to a "part of" what
this family has become..AND WILL BE!!!!
Interqual Certified
Published Psychiatric Researcher
Advocate for those in CIP, HIV, Psychologic Pain
"A Higher Power is necessary to find the ability to withstand self
destruction.."


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]