"Shelby County Drug Court Works"
 
 

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The Shelby County Drug Court:
A Brief History

Founded in 1997 by Judge Tim Dwyer, the Shelby County Drug Court is an alternative program that targets non-violent adult offenders with drug-related criminal charges.

The program works in three phases. Offenders are placed into an intensive out-patient program which requires they report back to the Court where the Judge personally reviews their progress. Program components include:

  • Voluntary participation
  • A 12-month sentence into the program
  • Outpatient treatment [and inpatient when necessary]
  • Mandatory random drug testing
  • Attendance at treatment sessions
  • Attendance at AA meetings
  • Sanctions for non-compliance
  • Assessments for chemical dependency
  • Participation in other programs as deemed necessary by the Drug Court Team which may include family/individual counseling, mental health counseling, GED/Job readiness, life-skills/ parenting sessions, anger management classes or other programs designed to assist the individual in returning to society as a productive citizen.

The Judge, who volunteers his time for the Drug Court program, takes on the primary role of oversight keeping clients engaged in treatment while allowing treatment providers the ability to focus on establishing an effective relationship.

The award-winning Drug Court, chosen as one of the 33 mentor courts in the nation, has demonstrated a 23 percent recidivism rate in comparison to the 80 percent recidivism rate of non-drug court participants. These results have had significant impact on reduction of crime, reduction in jail overcrowding saving taxpayer dollars, have afforded treatment to those who may otherwise have had no opportunity for treatment and perhaps, most importantly, have returned productive citizens to the community and to their families and friends.

     
 
A Drug Court Success
 
  The James Long Story  
 

As a young addict, I mostly used Valium, alcohol, and pot. Through the mid to late 70’s Quaalude was my drug of choice. During the mid 80’s I owned a hair salon and a house in Bartlett, when I started shooting morphine, dilaudid, and heroin. This persisted until I lost my house, my hair salon, and began to have heart problems because of my drug problem. Gradually I went from bad to worse. I didn’t have a home so I lived with friends until they, too, kicked me out. Over and over again I spent money only on drugs until I found myself living with homeless people and living life on the streets.

At age 49 I lived a drug addict’s life of crime and it caught up with me when I got busted, causing me to stand in the court room of Judge Tim Dwyer’s Drug Court. I went through detox in the jail of 201 Poplar and then I was asked if I wanted to participate in the Drug Court program. Judge Dwyer and the Drug Court Team placed me in a long term treatment program where I received counseling. It was during this program where I started practicing the 12-step approach in all my affairs and I started to enjoy life again; I could not remember how long that has been. The help I received through the Shelby County Drug Court motivated me to attend school to be a licensed Substance Abuse Counselor. The program has taught me to hold my experiences close and help people learn from my mistakes; I will never forget what I went through. It has been my mission to help as many addicts as I can and I often tell them if I can do it, they can too. I have learned that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself. I am very grateful that God is using me to give others hope and I thank God for the Drug Court.