Drug Court judge to speak at Rotary Club of Upcountry Maui on Jan. 4

For Immediate Release:
Dec. 27, 2007

Contact:
David Raatz, Administrative Assistant
Friends of the Maui Drug Court
friendsmauidrugcourt@gmail.com
808.276.3488

Drug Court judge to speak at Rotary Club of Upcountry Maui on Jan. 4

WAILUKU, Maui, Hawai`i - Judge Shackley F. Raffetto will speak about the Maui/Moloka`i Drug Court program before the Rotary Club of Upcountry Maui at 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 4, Friends of the Maui Drug Court announced today.

The meeting will be at the Kamehameha Schools Dining Hall (Ke`eaumoku papa`i aheahe) located at 275 A`apuio Parkway, Pukalani. The public is welcome.

Judge Raffetto has presided over the Maui/Moloka`i Drug Court since its inception in 2000. Drug Court provides non-violent criminal defendants an opportunity to receive judicially supervised substance-abuse treatment as an alternative to incarceration.

Friends of the Maui Drug Court is a charitable organziation founded in 1998 to seek the creation of a Drug Court within the State Second Circuit Court, based in Wailuku, as police, attorneys, healthcare providers and concerned members of the public realized that the traditional law-enforcement model wasn't working for the community or for substance-abusing offenders. The organization's mission now is to support the Drug Court by providing funding for client services and training for Drug Court professionals.

Judge Raffetto was appointed to the Circuit Court bench in 1994. He's a former member of U.S. Naval Reserve Judge Advocate General Corps and currently works with Defense Institute for Legal Studies to offer training and advisement to jurists in emerging democracies.

Judge Raffetto has said that the Drug Court program is the most cost-effective means of preventing alcohol- and drug-abusing offenders from returing to the criminal-justice system. The State Department of Public Safety has estimated that about 85 percent of inmates have serious substance-abuse issues, and Judge Raffetto estimates that 80 percent of crimes are related to substance abuse.

Drug Court provides an intensive 48- to 60-week program of substance-abuse treatment. A series of milestones must be passed for graduation, including negative alcohol and drug tests for a consecutive 90-day period and the performance of community service.

Drug Court graduates have a recidivism rate of less than 15 percent. The national criminal population has a recidivism of about 80 percent.

The Maui/Moloka`i Drug Court celebrated its 20th graduation ceremony last month. Since 2000, 244 Drug Court clients have graduated.

The Drug Court currently serves 110 clients. Judge Raffetto says he's hoping to build on the program's success and expand the Drug Court in the future.

More information is available at the Friends of the Maui Drug Court website at http://mauidrugcourt.info/.

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"Richland County drug court aims to turn around the 'war on drugs'"

From today's Mansfield (Ohio) News-Journal:

"Sending young people to prison for using drugs wasn't working," [Judge James Henson] said. "We were getting the same people out that we were sending in."

. . .

"We've seen so much growth in drug crimes over the last two decades," [Chief probation Officer Dave Leitenberger] said. "The long-term problem has to be solved through behavior change and treatment. You have to offer them treatment and an opportunity to live a normal life."

That's why drug court was created.

State's grants-in-aid process described . . .

. . . former legislative aide Doug White:

http://poinography.com/?p=5322

"Foundation gives $75K to drug court" (Mississippi)

From today's Hattiesburg American:

"We're doing this because we believe it helps people. . . Drugs are a scourge. Drug courts are a weapon in our arsenal that we can use to save people."

USA Today: "Drug courts offer offenders alternatives"

There's an important story about drug courts in USA Today - the nation's largest daily newspaper:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-12-20-alternativecourts_N.htm

The courts, which are multiplying across the USA, began 18 years ago as an experiment to attack a growing crack cocaine epidemic in Miami. They rely on treatment, rigorous supervision and accountability as a way to help, for the most part, non-violent drug users rather than sending them to prison.

"The Power of Drug Courts"

From the Texas Observer:

For nearly 20 years, Joel Bennett shuttled drug addicts through courtrooms. He dutifully sent them off to prison, first as a prosecutor and later as a state district judge in Austin, though he knew he was accomplishing little. Incarceration wouldn’t puncture their addiction. They would use again. Predictably, case files bearing familiar names would pile again on his desk. A sense of futility hung over the exercise. “What I saw was the same people returning to the system over and over again. And their children coming into the system,” Bennett says. “No one talked about breaking the cycle of crime.” Bennett recognized, as an ever-growing number of judges do, that to keep drug offenders from landing back in prison, he had to help addicts free themselves from the fog of substance abuse.

Friends of the Maui Drug Court president to speak at Aloha House celebration

For Immediate Release:
Dec. 4, 2007

Contact:
David Raatz, Administrative Assistant, Friends of the Maui Drug Court
808.276.3488
friendsmauidrugcourt@gmail.com

Friends of the Maui Drug Court president to speak at Aloha House celebration; Schlesinger offers unique perspective on Mayors Tavares

KAHULUI, Hawai`i - Dr. Larry Schlesinger, board president of Friends of the Maui Drug Court, will keynote the Aloha House 30th anniversary celebration at Maui Beach Hotel tomorrow night.

Aloha House provides substance-abuse and mental-health treatment for clients throughout Maui County. Aloha House serves Maui/Moloka`i Drug Court clients under a contract with the Judiciary.

Maui County Mayor Charmaine Tavares will also be speaking at the event. In 1987, Schlesinger spoke at the Aloha House 10th anniversary celebration, along with then-Mayor Hannibal Tavares, Charmaine's late father.

"I am privileged to help honor Aloha House's three decades of great work for the Maui County community," said Schlesinger, believed to be the world's only board-certified plastic surgeon who is also certified in addiction medicine. "It is a thrill to be joined by a Mayor Tavares once again, 20 years later.

"The Tavares family's historical and continuing support for addiction recovery is a special gift to the people of Maui County and the State of Hawai`i. I am honored to provide a link from Tavares father to daughter in the history of Aloha House."

Friends of the Maui Drug Court is the charitable organization that supports the programs of the Maui/Moloka`i Drug Court of the Second Circuit Court in Wailuku.

"The Aloha House's professional and compassionate staff plays a vital role in the Drug Court's success," Schlesinger said. "The Drug Court is able to provide effective treatment instead of incarceration to non-violent offenders because of Aloha House's excellence."

Schlesinger is also president of Pu`ulu Lapa`au, a non-profit organization that assists impaired and disruptive physicians in Hawai`i in dealing with chemical dependency and anger management.

Schlesinger said his purpose in life - his raison d'etre - is "to stay clean and sober and help other alcoholics and drug addicts to achieve sobriety."

That's what's driven him to not only professional success, but also to more than two decades of philanthropy and volunteerism for the benefit of Maui County's people.

"I am a living, breathing example that long-term successful recovery is possible," said Schlesinger, who has 24 years of continuous and successful recovery and who is also a visiting professor at three medical schools.

Schlesinger was named Physician of the Year by the Hawai`i Medical Association in 2000, largely in recognition of his volunteer work with homeless people, assisting Judge Shackley Raffetto in founding the Maui Drug Court and helping impaired physicians throughout the state.

"But if you look at it closely, all I did was follow the rules I was taught in 1983 – don't drink or use, and help other drug addicts and alcoholics to achieve sobriety," Schlesinger said. "What I am saying is that I was chosen Physician of the Year because I was a drug-addicted alcoholic in recovery – ain't that amazing!"

Schlesinger said he wants to help other addicts feel a similar sense of amazement as they embark on the "wild journey" of recovery. He commends the dedicated community members - such as Judge Raffetto, the Mayors Tavares and Aloha House clients and staff - who have helped provide purpose to so many lives.

For more information, please visit the following websites:

Aloha House -
http://www.alohahousemaui.com/

Pu`ulu Lapa`au -
http://puululapaau.info/

Friends of the Maui Drug Court -
http://mauidrugcourt.info/
###

New board members appointed for Friends of the Maui Drug Court

For Immediate Release:
Dec. 3, 2007

Contact:
David Raatz, Administrative Assistant, Friends of the Maui Drug Court
808.276.3488
friendsmauidrugcourt@gmail.com

New board members appointed for Friends of the Maui Drug Court

KAHULUI, Hawai'i - Friends of the Maui Drug Court has appointed five new board members for one-year terms, President Dr. Larry Schlesinger announced today.

Founded in 1998, Friends of the Maui Drug Court is the charitable organization that supports the programs of the Maui/Moloka'i Drug Court of the Second Circuit Court in Wailuku.

Schlesinger said the new board members are attorneys Randall H. Endo, Donald S. Guzman and Kirstin M. Hamman, Sen. J. Kalani English and James Hirano, Offender Services Administrator of the Maui Community Correctional Center.

The new appointees join Schlesinger, Vice President Dr. Kevin Kunz and Secretary/Treasurer Arlene Uchigakiuchi on the Friends of the Maui Drug Court board of directors.

Friends of the Maui Drug Court seeks to reduce the incidence of substance abuse and crime in Maui County by raising and disbursing funds in support of the Drug Court's clients and professionals.

The Drug Court provides an opportunity for non-violent offenders to avoid or reduce incarceration on the condition that they complete an intensive substance abuse treatment program.

More information is available on the Friends of the Maui Drug Court website at http://mauidrugcourt.info/.

Tax-deductible donations can be sent to:

Friends of the Maui Drug Court
33 Lono Ave. #300
Kahului HI 96732

Drug Court Judge Shackley F. Raffetto is available for interviews and speaking engagements. Please contact David Raatz, Administrative Assistant, Friends of the Maui Drug Court, at 808.276.3488 or friendsmauidrugcourt@gmail.com.

###

Drug Court graduation celebrated in Pennsylvania . . .

. . . and covered by WNEP-TV:

The director of the treatment court said drugs are responsible for 85 percent of crimes in the Wyoming Valley and having a program like this one is so important.

"I've really seen a lot of serious change, a lot of success, a lot of serious change in people's lives," said drug court coordinator Kelly Cesari.

California Drug Court graduate earns college scholarship

Congratulations to Jenny Munoz of San Bernardino.

Judge Raffetto to discuss Drug Court with Upcountry Rotary Club on Jan. 4

Details to follow soon.

Sheriff in California - to fight drugs, we need treatment more than we need law enforcement

"The war on drugs is not working because we are relying on law enforcement instead of on treatment."

Drug Court in Oklahoma credited with making positive impact

The Duncan (Okl.) Banner:

Since its inception more than three years ago, the Stephens County Drug Court has expanded the county’s ability to provide therapy, healing, recovery and justice to individuals charged with alcohol and/or drug felonies.

A woman who asked to remain anonymous because she is still a participant of Narcotics Anonymous is a recent graduate of drug court and is just such an individual.

“I got addicted to methamphetamine when I was about 16 and used it regularly until I got into drug court,” said the woman, now in her late 20s.

Early results are promising for new Drug Court in Mason County, Ill.

Court puts offenders on a 'new course'

Drug Court success stories in New Mexico

Musician Joe Walsh speaks at Drug Court graduation in California

Justice Department announces grant opportunities for drug courts

Here's the Nov. 13 announcement:

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/08DrugCourtsSol.pdf

Grant applications are due Jan. 10.

The announcement includes this concise, general statement about drug courts:

Drug courts help reduce recidivism and substance abuse among nonviolent offenders1 and increase an offender’s likelihood of successful rehabilitation through early, continuous, and intense judicially supervised treatment, mandatory periodic drug testing, community supervision, and appropriate sanctions and other habilitation services.

How does Hawai`i measure up on alcohol and drug programs and policies?

Join Together ("advancing effective alcohol and drug policy") provides data on key measures:

http://www.jointogether.org/keyissues/state-policies/state/hawaii.html

ASAM policy on access to detox services for incarcerated persons

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ADDICTION MEDICINE, INC.

Public Policy Statement on Access to Appropriate Detoxification Services for Persons Incarcerated in Prisons and Jails

Individuals brought into custody by criminal justice authorities should receive appropriate general medical screening to assure that their medical needs will not go unaddressed during their incarceration. The circumstance of being under arrest, detained, jailed, or imprisoned should not preclude access to and provision of medically necessary treatment for alcohol and other drug withdrawal.

Staggering statistic of the week . . .

Only 10% of addicts get treatment.

That's according to Dr. Michael H. Miller, President, American Society of Addiction Medicine, in a presentation to the Hawaii Society of Addiction Medicine in Honolulu on November 9, 2007.

"The ability of drug abuse treatment to reduce illegal activity has marked economic impact."

Value of Reduction in Crime-Related Costs vs. Costs of Drug Treatment

The ability of drug abuse treatment to reduce illegal activity has marked economic impact. One study found a reduction in crime-related costs in the year following treatment that averaged more than $19,000 per patient. This compares favorably to the cost of providing the treatment - $2,828 for methadone maintenance, $8,920 for residential treatment, and $2,908 for outpatient drug-free.

Source: Rajkumar, A.S. and French, M.T. (1997), "Drug Abuse, Crime Costs, and the Economic Benefits of Treatment," Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 13 (3): 291-323.

"Aloha House serves Maui"

Maui News editorial today:

. . . Aloha House, the island’s first residential substance abuse treatment center, began with one man who was intimately acquainted with addiction.

Joe Pana was a recovering alcoholic who opened his Kahului home to others trying to fight their way out of addiction. . . .

. . .

More than 130 staff members and contractors work for Aloha House and its sister agency, Malama Recovery Center. About 1,500 individuals are helped each year, not including family members who are often included in treatment services.

This Thursday, Aloha House formally opens a new clinic at 250 Waiehu Beach Road. The event begins at 11 a.m. and is open to the public, as are all of agency’s programs.

. . .

Aloha House celebrates its 30th anniversary Dec. 5 with a dinner buffet and silent auction at the Maui Beach Hotel Elleair Room. Although supported by public funds, Aloha House also gratefully accepts private contributions. Call 871-1314 to take part in the anniversary celebration and help Aloha House continue to make a vital contribution to the health and welfare of our community.

8th graduation ceremony for Kaua`i Drug Court

http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2007/11/10/news/news03.txt

Graduation is not a guarantee for success, said Drug Court Judge Calvin Murashige.

He was addressing 10 graduates who completed the Drug Court program and were celebrating the Eighth Drug Court graduation before an overflow audience of relatives, friends and supporters of the graduates.

Among those in attendance, state Sen. Gary Hooser said the Friday afternoon ceremony came down to choices.

“Choices are made daily,” Hooser said in his remarks. “You are here because of the good choice you made. From here, it’s one choice at a time.”

"12 FINISH MAUI DRUG COURT ON ANNIVERSARY"

http://mauinews.com/news/2007/11/7/05coui1107.html

Maui Drug Court Administrator Barbara-Ann Keller: drug courts are good public investment, reduce recividism

Viewpoint in Maui News:

In contrast to the traditional “revolving-door” approach, Drug Courts provide an effective solution to drug and drug-related crime through the innovative use of comprehensive supervision, drug testing, judicial monitoring and sanctions and incentives.

Recent federal grants support drug courts in Hawai`i

$397,000 to Friends of Drug Court in Honolulu.

$443,405 to 3rd Circuit Drug Court (Hawai`i Island).

Drug Court graduation on Maui TV News!

Note: The video starts with reports on the Hawai`i Superferry and Maui's drought conditions before getting to the Maui Drug Court story.

Here's a link to the transcript:

http://mauitvnews.com/scripts/11-01-07.htm

And here's an excerpt:

We have admitted about 500 people into Drug Court on Maui since 2000. That means 500 people have received intensive treatment for drug addiction We're graduate 244 - not everybody makes it. Of those, the recidivism rate is 14 percent - we base that on convictions. That means that only 14 percent have reoffended. That's an amazing success.

Government Accountability Office report on drug courts

"Evidence Indicates Recividism Reductions":
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05219.pdf (540.8 KB .pdf document)

Friends of Big Island Drug Court, Inc. . . .

. . . lists board members, effective Oct. 1, 2007.

Big Island Drug Court profiled

From Friday's Hawaii Tribune-Herald (free registration required):

Hard program yields new life; Success rate of the Big Island Drug Court far above average

"Drug court offers unique, team-driven approach"

From the Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat regarding the St. Clair County (Ill.) Drug Court:

In drug court, prosecutors and defense attorneys shed their traditional adversarial roles in the courtroom and cooperate with one another to reduce crime.

County drug court in Minnesota gets first referrals

From yesterday's West Central Tribune:

New London residents are the first referred to county’s new drug court

New drug courts emerging across the country . . .

An M.D. in Maine seeks support for that state's sixth drug court in an op-ed piece published yesterday:

Studies have documented that specialty drug courts reduce crime and recidivism, increase public safety, increase sobriety and recovery among former defendants, and save money. Maine established its statewide system of drug courts in 2001 and operates five Drug Courts . . .

An Illinois county initiated its drug court last month, according to a news article also published yesterday:

In an effort to reduce the number of drug offenders finding their way back into its court system, Mason County is offering a newly developed process for substance abuse treatment to eligible offenders.

It's called drug court, and it is a collaborative effort among the offender and several key players in Mason County's judicial system aimed at permanent reduction in alcohol and drug related crime in Mason County.

"DORGAN AMENDMENT STRENGTHENS DRUG COURT SYSTEM"

From an Oct. 4 press release -

Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) won approval Thursday for an amendment that substantially increases funding for the nation's drug courts, which he said get better results and cost less money than the traditional court system when it comes to fighting illegal drug use.

Dorgan's amendment increases funding for the drug court system from the $25 million originally included in the bill to $40 million. President Bush's Fiscal Year 2008 Budget recommended no funding for the courts.

. . .

"A top priority of any program that aims to combat drug abuse in this country has to be helping those now addicted to get free of that addiction," Dorgan said. "The drug courts have a remarkable track record of doing that, providing treatment and rehabilitation where once there was only incarceration."

. . .

Dorgan noted a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) study which found that offenders who go through the drug court system, rather than the traditional court system, have lower re-arrest and conviction rates.

Drug courts are also a smart investment, Dorgan said. "They not only help drug users get off drugs, they save taxpayers' money. Incarcerating a drug offender costs between $20,000 to $50,000 per year. It costs just $2,500 to $4,000 for a comprehensive drug court program. Better results at less cost. That's a pretty good combination."

The next Maui Drug Court graduation day is scheduled for Oct. 25

Details to follow soon.

Candidate for prosecutor's election in Washington state touts Hawai`i drug courts

Sherman said King County isn't a leader in dealing with domestic violence and with mentally ill and drug-abusing criminal defendants. He said the county should study innovative programs used elsewhere, such as one in Hawaii in which drug abusers stay out of jail by undergoing urinanalysis tests every 72 hours -- but go to jail if they test positive.

Source: "Candidates for prosecutor play to their strengths," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Oct. 3, 2007

Hawaii Drug Threat Assessment

From the National Drug Intelligence Center (May 2002):

http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs07/998/overview.htm

"DRUG COURTS OFFER ADDICTS A CHANCE, BUT IT TAKES WORK"

A report from Sunday's Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader:

Fourteen years ago, Kentucky had no drug courts.

By the end of this year, drug courts will serve all 120 Kentucky counties.

. . .

Since the first drug court was created in Miami 20 years ago, nearly 2,000 have been set up across the country. Drug courts combine intensive supervision, random drug tests, group counseling sessions and frequent appearances before a judge to help participants deal with addiction and avoid prison. Extensive research has found that drug courts are the most effective means of dealing with addicted criminals.

"A Headful of Recovery: Judge Shackley Raffetto and Maui Drug Court"

In its April 29, 2004 issue, Maui Time Weekly profiled Judge Raffetto and Maui Drug Court:

Shackley Raffetto is a gray-haired man with an easy smile and a soft voice who looks every bit like the tax attorney he used to be. That he'll soon be entering his second 10-year term as a Maui Circuit Court judge is also pretty easy to believe. Same with his prior service as a U.S. Naval Reserve member of the Judge Advocate General Corps, or his current work as an instructor in the Defense Institute for Legal Studies, which offers training and advisement to jurists in emerging democracies.

The judge and his books

About the only thing not immediately believable about Shackley Raffetto is his view of how the courts should deal with drug offenders.

"I think a lot of [why people do drugs] is self-medication," he said in a recent interview. "We've had lots of people who've had extraordinary traumas in their youth. I really think a lot of it is self-medication. The first thing an addict knows is that the drug works. It blocks out the pain. There are side effects, like it leads to crime. We ask people who enter the program to write an essay about why they're here. They mention abuse, violence, terrible things. Because they get into drug use and criminality they get marginalized in our society. And we've got to bring them back. Even when you send someone to prison, they're coming back. And we have to address that--make them a county asset again."

National drug court organizations

National Association of Drug Court Professionals
http://www.nadcp.org/about/

The NADCP, a not-for-profit organization, was founded in 1994 by a group of visionaries to reduce the negative social impact of substance abuse, crime, and recidivism by:

*promoting and advocating for the establishment, growth and funding of drug courts;
*providing for the collection and dissemination of information; and
*providing sophisticated training, technical assistance and mutual support to association members.

National Drug Court Institute
http://www.ndci.org/aboutndci.htm

Education
The National Drug Court Institute provides a comprehensive drug court training series for practitioners.

Research
The National Drug Court Institute supports investigative projects aimed at the development of more effective drug court policies and procedures.

Scholarship
The National Drug Court Institute disseminates important drug court specific research, evaluations and relevant commentary.

Drug court comes to another isle community - The Cayman Islands

Via Drug Rehab Referral.com:

Drug Rehab For Drug Offenders Gets A Boost In The Caymans