The Court has been running as a diversion for drug and alcohol related offences for about ten years and for much of that time has been presided over by Judge Joe Will, a charismatic, compassionate and effective member of the judiciary. Judge Will's drug court happens every Wednesday in downtown DeLand, capital of Volusia County. It's clients are those who have committed lower level offences, ie. non violent, and whose offending is drug or alcohol related. In return for participation in a designated rehabilitation programme and evidence of having accessed, with support, paid employment, the otherwise inevitable prison sentence is deferred and the chance is given to overcome the addiction and rebuild a life. The programmes, which include the residential, are run by non-profit organisations and each week Judge Will requires the attendance of everyone on a programme and a full progress report both from the over-seeing organisation and from the individual themselves.
On paper it sounds like a now established, if far from universal, alternative to custody. However, what was beyond expectation was the level of engagement and accountability between the judge and each client. What struck me most was how absolutely transferable the basic principle of diversion is when judged to be appropriate. Again, many of the people before the Court today were likely to have a learning support need of some kind, their addiction issue being attendant upon that as well as homelessness, joblessness and family disruption: a familiar picture. It is when taken together that these issues are most successfully addressed and Volusia County's drug court has a 70% success rate (ie. non re-offending) among those who complete the programme. This level of achievement is due largely to the holistic approach taken to whatever issues are contributing to the person's recurring offending, learning support and education being key among them and all, in this case, in the context of addressing addiction issues. It sounds strange but it was a pleasure to observe each person at various stages of the programme explain to Judge Will how they thought they were doing, what they still needed to do, and to receive his sincere approbation, admonishment and encouragement as appropriate. Their efforts and responses were among the most moving and impressive testimonies to effective intervention I have heard.
Judge Joe Will, Circuit and Drug Court, Volusia County, Florida.
A Vote of Thanks
This is the end of the project and it is not actually possible here to comprehensively pull together all of the learning and insight that has accompanied the last six weeks, that will be the task of a final report and of the coming months when it can be shared and implemented hopefully to wider benefit. What I can say is that my original scope, which concerned lessons to be learned in providing support for people with learning disabilities in the criminal justice system, has been met and surpassed almost from day one. That is thanks to all of the people in every visit and venue along the way who gave of their time and their thinking. The opportunities afforded by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust (www.wcmt.org) are generous and farsighted and many of the people I have met have expressed admiration at the Trust's level of affirmation and support for those of us who have been successful and fortunate in receiving an award. Like many fellows I could not have taken advantage of this opportunity without the support and encouragement of Cornerstone, my employer in Scotland (www.cornerstone.org.uk). And of course blogging is no fun without at least a modest readership so thank you both!
The people who also stay with me are those with whom my encounters at the time seemed almost accidental but who now seem to have contributed significantly to a thought or a conversation: John at Delancey Street in Brewster who, as he walked me to the door, talked of how much he hoped for in his 'second chance'; Bobby with whom I chopped potatoes in San Francisco who expressed his 'excitement' at learning how to cater for his three hundred housemates; Angela with whom I shared the joy of reading in her cafe/bookshop; Jake, the teacher at the detention centre in Lowell who referred to the use of local news and personal stories in teaching reading skills; the man in drug court today who struggled with his emotions as he explained to the judge how much he thought he owed to the opportunity the court had given him. These and more have made it not just valuable learning but an experience in how to learn.
