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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2017)
6 Wednesday, November 15, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Drug program tries to hit “just right” spot Correspondent In an attempt to reduce the number of drug and theft crimes in Deschutes County, District Attorney John Hummel has announced a new pilot program called “Goldilocks” that involves three different tiers for addressing drug offenses. Tier one: Clean Slate, for someone with no prior drug convictions, provides for full medical treatment of both addiction and any other phys- ical or mental-health issues. Mosaic Medical and La Pine Community Health Center will be providing the care, which will either be covered by the Oregon Health Plan or provided free of charge. If someone is caught in possession of a controlled substance, a citation is issued to appear in court, rather than an arrest being made, pro- vided there is no outstanding warrant, they aren’t violent or under the influence of drugs, and are not viewed as an imminent danger. They are also offered the opportunity to appear the fol- lowing Friday at 10:15 a.m. at an orientation meeting with Hummel, a public defender, and a drug and alcohol pro- fessional, to assess if par- ticipation in the Clean Slate program is a viable option. If deemed appropriate, they immediately enter the pro- gram. If they make their first appointment, the court appearance is cancelled. If they remain clean and sober for a year while in the program and don’t reof- fend, their attorney can file a motion with the court to remove their case from the record. Quick entry into the program is expected to result in a lowering of the recidi- vism rate. Those charged with Driving under the Influence of Intoxicants are not eligible for this tiered program. Tier 2, Boost, is for low- level distribution/manu- facture of a controlled sub- stance cases or someone who fails Clean Slate. This is the approach that has been in place and involves tradi- tional prosecution, some jail time, and court-ordered drug treatment. Tier 3, Deter, is more punitive and applies to com- mercial drug dealers, those with a prior record, or who are dealing drugs to children. “If you’re dealing drugs, we’re going to seek the maxi- mum penalty,” Hummel said. These cases will be referred to the U. S. Attorney for Federal prosecution, which results in longer sen- tences. Not all cases will be accepted by the U.S. Attorney and those not could be charged with racketeering and receive maximum sen- tences from the Deschutes County District Attorney. H u m m e l i n d i c a t e d , “Deschutes County is the only community offering full medical treatment for drug offenders. This is a totally unique model.” By Sue Stafford Correspondent Local authorities are taking a different approach to drug offenses in Deschutes County — one they believe will reduce crime and recidivism. Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel rolled out his “Goldilocks” pilot study last Friday in an effort to reduce drug and theft crimes in the county. The name refers to the “just right” part of the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Hummel believes “one size fits all” is neither appro- priate nor beneficial when it comes to dealing with drug offenses. The new plan is a three-tier system allowing for discretion when choosing the best way to handle drug arrests (see sidebar). After two-and-a-half years of study and data collec- tion involving a 31-member advisory board made up of members of law enforcement, municipal government, the legal profession, business, non-profits, education, and social service programs, find- ings led to the development of the new program. Data indicated that from 2009-2015 in Deschutes County, drug crimes and theft accounted for over 50 percent of all crimes — 9,965 out of 18,527. The percentage of individuals arrested for both crimes during the same six- year period was 34 percent and in a single day 16 percent. In 2016, a community rt of Friends e l A c Cir By Sue Stafford DA unveils new drug program Sisters salutes... • S i s t e r s C h r i s t i a n Academy would like to thank all the folks who attended their Veterans Chapel last week. Your presence made it a wonder- ful time! Special thanks to Bill Anttila, Earl Schroeder, and to John Miller, featured speaker. — Book Your — Holiday Party! We book parties of p 6 to 60! Order off the menu Ord or check out our o buffet options at bu sisterssaloon.net/ sis catering 541-549-RIBS 541 5499 R I B S SistersSaloon.net 190 E. Cascade Ave. Our kind of Christmas Artist vendor show Tollgate Rec Center 15004 Saddle, Sisters One Day Only Sat., Nov. 25 10 AM safety survey throughout the county revealed 37.4 percent of citizens responding per- ceived that drugs constituted the biggest threat to public safety, by far the largest per- centage; 64 percent thought street drugs had a major nega- tive impact and 30 percent said they had a minor negative impact on the community. When it came to citizens’ public safety priorities, com- munity crime prevention was at the top of the list at 39.1 per- cent. The preferred strategies for dealing with crimes related to street drugs are reflected in the final Goldilocks proto- col. For simple possession of drugs, diversion/drug court was preferred by 64.4 per- cent of respondents, with 35.6 percent favoring prosecution. The reverse was true for those charged with distributing drugs. Prosecution was the choice of 77.4 percent with only 22.6 percent naming diversion/drug court. The other statistic that highlighted the impact of drug and theft crimes on the community had to do with recidivism, or being charged with the same crime repeat- edly. Those two categories accounted for 87 percent of repeat offenders. Hummel said it was obvi- ous from the data the cur- rent arrest and prosecution routine for all drug offenses was not working. Many thefts are related to addicts getting money to buy drugs. Simply locking up drug users was not addressing the root of the problem: their addiction. The Goldilocks pilot study is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The three major goals are to reduce recidi- vism, provide appropriate treatment, care, and punitive action based on each individ- ual’s crime and substance use disorder issue, and to create a safer, healthier community. The Goldilocks program has received funding for one year, and Hummel hopes that if the data reflects improved results funding may be extended for another year. “The data will tell us if it’s working, meaning we will see the recidivism rate going down. If the data doesn’t show improvement, we’ll try something else, because the recidivism rate is currently terrible,” Hummel said. B y i n s t i t u t i n g t h e Goldilocks protocol, Hummel hopes to see a 30 percent drop in offenses and recidivism. Frontiers In Science MONTHLY SYMPOSIUM IN SISTERS Pachyderm Intrigue & Elephant Lessons Donald J. Miller is a humanitarian and conservation photographer with a passion for enhancing appreciation of the biosphere and awareness of the challenges facing l h t after ft photo- h t our planet. He has a special interest i in elephants graphing them in 1983 at Washington Park Zoo (Oregon Zoo). Miller’s lecture will explore the sophisticated nature of elephant society and communication as illustrated by the research of bi- ologists Katy Payne and Caitlin O’Connell and enhanced by the volunteer desert elephant conservation work Miller has done with Elephant Human Relations Aide in Namibia, Africa. Also trained as a registered nurse, Miller has done volunteer medical work in El Salvador, Haiti, and China. His travels contribute to the creation of his humanitarian images. “Invisible Gift” is the title of his new print display fea- turing images expressing goodwill – that non-material, seemingly invisible gift – shared among people of the world. www.delicatelightphotography.com This lecture is co-sponsored by Friends of the Sisters Library and the Jim Anderson Chair. Tuesday, November 28 At The Belfry, 302 E. Main Ave., Sisters One-hour lecture begins at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. for community hour! Door Prizes Hot Cider ‘n’ Munchies Admission: $5; Science Club Donors, Teachers and Students - FREE Local artists’ best work for your Christmas gifts Save the Date: Tues., Jan. 23 Barbara Pettersen, MS “The New Genetics: Promises and Pitfalls” Bring your curiosity and an appetite for food, drink & knowledge!
