MOUNT VERNON — The Knox County Common Pleas Court has earned initial certification from the Ohio Supreme Court ‘s Commission on Specialized Dockets for a felony drug court.
Known as ARMOR Court, the specialized court is geared toward fourth- and fifth-degree drug or alcohol offenders who require more intensive court-ordered treatment. Some third-degree offenders might be eligible to participate with the approval of the county prosecutor.
Those convicted of OVI, drug trafficking, sex crimes, or crimes involving a weapon, violence, or a child as a victim are not eligible to participate.
“The name ARMOR Court was chosen because it represents Alternative Rehabilitation Making Offenders Responsible,” explained Lisa Lyons, chief probation officer. “So we are providing the ‘tools’ (armor) to the participants in order to deter them from self-destructive behaviors and reduce recidivism. Our motto is ‘Victus Cedet,’ which translates ‘overcome and succeed.’”
Common Pleas Judge Richard Wetzel said the certification is the culmination of a year’s worth of work that included research, data collecting, attending seminars and networking with other counties. Local efforts included shifting supervisory responsibilities to the Alpha & Omega House and using grant money to hire additional staff.
“It’s also the next step in expanding our programs at the probation house, which was made possible by the commissioners buying the building, relocating the adult probation department, partnering with other organizations, the TCAP grant and the JRIG grant,” he said. “We wanted to get the programs started at the probation house so that we have programs to put our offenders into.”
Entry into ARMOR Court can occur anywhere along the judicial process, from preconviction to after sentencing. Individuals must be referred to the program. Referrals can be made by the county prosecutor, public defender, private counsel, or a probation officer.
After individuals apply and undergo assessment and background information is collected, that information is brought before a Treatment Team.
“The Treatment Team decides whether the person is appropriate for participation,” said Lyons. “There is no automatic ‘right’ to participate.”
The Ohio Supreme Court determines the members of the Treatment Team, which includes representatives of recovery programs, adult education, local government, adult probation, and the judicial system, among others. Locally, in addition to Wetzel and Lyons, the Treatment Team includes the county prosecutor and public defender; Mike Rardon, intervention specialist for the common pleas court; and representatives of TouchPointe, Mount Vernon City Council, Behavioral Health Partners, and Riverside Recovery Services.
The program consists of four phases:
- Phase 1 Orientation (minimum of 60 days) includes random drug/alcohol screens twice a week, weekly meetings with Wetzel, curfews, required attendance at support groups, required community service, and creation of an individual plan that identifies the individual’s specific needs
- Phase 2 (minimum of 90 days) includes the requirements of Phase 1 except that the meetings with Wetzel change to every other week
- Phase 3 Growth and Development (minimum of 120 days) includes behavior modification classes and at least three sober leisure activities a month. Sober leisure activities are positive activities such as attending church or a service club.
- Phase 4 Maintenance includes being employed or being trained for employment, sober leisure activities and community service.
“Along the way, we have incentives for productive behavior and sanctions for inappropriate behavior,” said Lyons.
Positive incentives might be termination or reduction of community control. Sanctions might include rescinding special privileges, being placed on house arrest, or jail or prison time.
“If someone shows us they are progressing positively, those time frames could be reduced, and that’s an incentive,” said Lyons.
Many low-risk offenders are required to complete all or part of the same requirements covered by ARMOR Court. Typically, low-risk offenders comply readily with court-ordered sanctions. Wetzel said that ARMOR Court is for medium- to high-risk offenders who want to comply but need more structure to help them do so.
“The drug court structure allows more personal interaction with the judge,” he said. “Success statistics are related to that time spent. It’s a non-adversarial approach that allows the court to have more personal interaction with the individual, and that’s the part I really love. I am really looking forward to that.”
All drug court participants will be in the courtroom for the sessions with the judge. Wetzel said that a group accountability dynamic develops during these sessions which enhances the participants’ success.
ARMOR Court is capped at 30 individuals in a year.
“The plan is to start with a small group and grow it so that the likelihood of success is greater. That gives us an opportunity to test our resources and determine how much time is involved,” said Wetzel, adding that it also allows time to apply for grant money to support the program.
The Treatment Team will meet Dec. 14 to begin the process of selecting participants.
“We think we will be underway sometime in January,” said Wetzel.
The Ohio Supreme Court ‘s Commission on Specialized Dockets will conduct a site visit in March to observe the court in session, and Lyons is required to file regular reports. Wetzel said that it could take up to a year to get final certification.
