Specialty courts deemed a frugal form of justice

Christine O’Neill knew she had to get sober when she found out her mother was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2002.

The 27-year-old spent years using heroin and crystal methamphetamine, but she did not want to end up in jail when her terminally ill mother died. After she was jailed multiple times for drug possession, a judge recommended her to the Assistance in Breaking the Cycle (ABC) Court program in Henderson.

Upon spending 16 months in the program, O’Neill graduated and has since gone on to better things. Because of the second chance at life that specialty court programs offer to people such as O’Neill, they have grown in popularity with nonviolent offenders dealing with substance abuse.

“The program is designed to give us the tools we need to make a change,” O’Neill said. “I now have a full-time job, my family trusts me and I’ve been sober for 18 months. The program introduced me to a whole new life.”

As an alternative to incarceration, specialty courts offer demanding programs designed to address the root causes of criminal activity.

Through coordinating efforts with the judicial system, law enforcement, substance-abuse treatment, mental health programs, social services and child protection services, specialty courts aim to keep participants out of the cycle of addiction and crime.

Henderson Judge Douglas Hedger, who oversees the ABC Court program, said he has seen an increase in participants who were referred through judges, jail personnel or police officers in the community.

Since the program focuses on habitual offenders with multiple cases in Municipal Court who are 18 or older, Hedger said the program has been beneficial to the city.

“It costs the city $125 a day to house someone in the Henderson jail, as opposed to $25 a day for an individual to go through the program,” Hedger said. “This is a huge financial benefit for the city. Many people keep committing crimes because of their addictions. Through the program, we are forming productive members of society.”

Some of the requirements include frequent drug testing and court appearances, along with tightly structured treatment and recovery services.

The program can take between one and two years of commitment and has 25 participants a year, but with the help of federal funding, city officials hope to expand the program to 50 participants next year.

Since starting the program in 2008, 29 people have graduated.

For more information, visit cityofhenderson.com/municipal_court/abc_court.php.

The North Las Vegas Community Court program was enacted into law in 2013 and held its first session in February with four participants.

Similar to the ABC Court, the goal of the program is to teach nonviolent 18- to 24-year-old offenders without prior felony or gross misdemeanor convictions how to overcome their criminal lifestyles and addictions and learn how to lead productive lives.

With the help of referrals from attorneys, there are 20 participants in the program.

North Las Vegas Judge Kalani Hoo, who oversees the program, partners with public defenders and nonprofit social workers to assess each individual and create a treatment plan based on the individual’s needs. He expects most participants to graduate within a year.

“Our goal is to educate our youths in all aspects of life,” Hoo said. “We see this program as an investment. We want to make sure we don’t see them again in terms of the criminal justice system.”

Hoo said the program is estimated to save the city $160 per inmate per day. If participants fail to abide by any aspect of the program, repercussions can include incarceration, writing essays and doing community service.

Participants who complete the program can get their felony cases reduced to misdemeanors.

North Las Vegas Community Court sessions are scheduled for 11 a.m. every other Tuesday at the North Las Vegas Justice Court, 2428 N. Martin Luther King Blvd.

“Programs like these save people’s lives,” said Cassie Nogueda, an ABC Court participant. “I knew I couldn’t stay clean without support, and I am so thankful Judge Hedger gave me a chance. It changed my life.”

Nevada has 44 specialty court programs, consisting of 27 urban and 17 rural programs.

The programs are: 17 adult drug courts, including diversion and child support; three family drug courts; three mental health courts; six juvenile drug courts; six DUI courts; five hybrid DUI/drug courts; one prostitution prevention court; one veterans treatment court; and two habitual offender courts, according to nevadajudiciary.us.

For more information, visit nevadajudiciary.us/index.php/specalitycourts.

Contact North View reporter Sandy Lopez at slopez@viewnews.com or 702-383-4686. Find her on Twitter: @JournalismSandy.