Addiction-driven crime accounts for about 80 percent of the 165 inmates in Pike County Correctional Facility, not including immigration prisoners from a federal contract, according to Pike County Commissioner Matt Osterberg.
To address that addict population, a rehab program implemented by Catholic Social Services in Milford was begun in January, paid for with DUI fines, Osterberg said.
So far, 65 inmates have gone through the program, and 20 were participating in September, he said. The process begins with an evaluation by a CSS counselor. To participate, an inmate must show interest and “readiness,” said Osterberg. Once in the program, conditions of inmates’ release require them to continue with outpatient treatment “as long as CSS staff think they need it,” Osterberg said.
“The program is strictly a drug and alcohol clinic, offering both group and individual sessions,” said CSS Clinical Director Erin Gilpatrick. “However, we do provide recovery supports, including contacts with agencies that provide job placement and mental health services.”
The program only serves Pike County residents, so rehab excludes inmates who came to Pike County from elsewhere to steal from box stores, like Walmart and Kmart, to support their drug habit. That disappoints Debra Nason, whose heroin-addicted son is incarcerated at PCCF for such thefts.
“He stole anything from clothes to electronics and returned them for money to buy heroin,” Nason said.
She has seen him go in and out of jail for several years, but she also fears his release, knowing of so many addicts who overdosed. She recently attended a funeral for a young addict found dead by his mother on her kitchen floor. Nason began a support group for families of drug addicts at Empowering Port Jervis Community Center last March.
“At least we’ve reduced the stigma of addiction, so people could talk about it,” she said.
Lack of interstate collaboration in rehab for jail inmates does not surprise Pike County public defender Michael Weinstein, given rehab costs.
“The program is a wonderful first step,” said Weinstein, a longtime defense lawyer and former district attorney from Milford. “This is the first drug rehab program they’ve had.”
Previously, he said, “There was no transition plan for inmates. They got no skills training. When they came out, they had a criminal record, costs, fines, and unless they were lucky, no job. If they’re in Pike County Correctional Facility for 11 months at $10 a day, that costs thousands.”
They often come back to court bringing evidence of job applications to negotiate with judges for lower payments, perhaps reduction from $150 a week to $40, Weinstein said. Still unable to pay, they incur contempt of court charges and may be returned to incarceration.
“They have child support, rent and cars to operate, though they may have lost their license,” Weinstein said. “Federal and state prisons have re-entry transition programs. When county funding is insufficient for that, it creates a revolving door.”
However, he doubts the effectiveness of rehab in jail.
“I see many clients in jail who say they won’t touch drugs when they come out. But poverty and disappointment drive them back,” he said. “Halfway houses are critical. For minor crimes, they should have rehab instead of jail.”
Weinstein advocates establishing a drug court that gives nonviolent offenders an opportunity to forego a criminal record by staying clean for a year. Having a criminal record impedes employment, fueling addiction and recidivism.
For hardcore addicts, he said, “The only thing I’ve seen work is long term inpatient care, nine to 12 months. It shows a commitment by the individual and a willingness to get away from people, places, and things” that perpetuate the addiction.