Homeless get chance at turnaround

When Judge Douglas Hedger took the Henderson Municipal Court bench six years ago, he was quickly struck by how many homeless defendants repeatedly appeared before him for nonviolent offenses such as trespassing, sleeping on a bus bench or being drunk in public.

To continually arrest and jail such defendants seemed an exercise in futility.

"Do we want to keep filling jails with these individuals?" Hedger said. "What can we do other than just put them in jail?"

The judge decided an alternative sentencing program was in order, one aimed at getting homeless defendants off the streets and out of jail for good.

In April 2008, he started A.B.C. Court. The "A.B.C." stands for "Assistance in Breaking the Cycle."

Hedger's intensive program bore fruit Wednesday, celebrating its first graduates: two formerly homeless men now sober and employed.

One of the men, 45-year-old Richard Heavin, had been living homeless near Boulder Highway for years. Since 2000, he was arrested on misdemeanor charges 30 times.

"I was drinking and doing drugs," Heavin said Wednesday. "I was stealing from stores to survive."

Last year, after yet another arrest, Hedger offered Heavin a choice: six months in jail or enrollment in the A.B.C. program.

"I was just ready," Heavin said. "I needed some structure, a jump-start toward recovery."

The program requires defendants to move into a transitional "sober living" home and participate in daily recovery meetings, counseling and intensive case management. They get life and job skills training and help earning a G.E.D.

They are tested regularly for drugs and alcohol and must appear weekly in Hedger's court for status checks.

"We've had a few who said they'd rather do jail time," Hedger said. "Some say it's a lot easier."

The program, which has 17 participants, lasts up to two years. To graduate, participants must have a year of sobriety, a job and independent housing.

"It's been incredible to see them change," Hedger said. "They go from using drugs and alcohol every day to people who are working, clean, and just have totally turned their lives around."

Heavin completed culinary school during his time in the program. He is working as a tree trimmer while he searches for work as a cook.

He and the other graduate, a 27-year-old who asked not to be identified, received certificates of graduation from the program on Wednesday, free dinners for two at Henderson restaurant Bonefish Grill and a handshake from the new mayor, Andy Hafen.

"I'm looking forward to more graduations," Hafen said. He called the program "a win-win" for the court, defendants and taxpayers.

It's less expensive to put defendants through the program than to incarcerate them, Hedger said. He added that it costs more than $100 a day to keep a defendant in jail.

He said he was not sure how much money the program saves because it is still in its infancy.

The court uses grant money and partners with nonprofits to help offset costs.

"We definitely save a lot of money by doing this," Hedger said.

Such a program also makes good sense because it provides homeless defendants the tools and support they need to rebuild their lives, said Linda Lera-Randle El, director of the Straight from the Streets homeless outreach program.

"You can't do the same thing over and over and expect different results," Lera-Randle El said of the practice of repeatedly arresting and jailing homeless people on misdemeanor charges.

She praised Hedger's program, which is based on the drug-court model of alternative sentencing, as "progressive."

"These are the type of programs that need to be enhanced," she said.

But the A.B.C. program isn't for everybody. Hedger expelled two people for refusing to follow the rules. Both ended up in jail, he said.

"The flip side is it still accomplishes my goal, which is to get the street clean from habitual offenders."

Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.