Down River – Sept. 24, 2015

Thumbs Up for Treatment Court:

Many of us believe the nation’s current system for dealing with drug offenders isn’t working particularly well. Our prisons are full of convicted drug traffickers, our communities with far too many pill and drug-addled residents of all ages and drug-related crimes continue to extract a horrific toll from society.

More arrests, more prison cells…they don’t seem to be quelling the epidemic facing our country. (It would be great at one of the presidential debates, either party, that this issue be addressed, but participants to this point would rather invest in character-assassination of one-another).

Given the lack of success of the present nationwide system, we look for small victories at the grassroots level and we saw one on Monday of this week. It was the first graduation for the 15-month old Clinton County Treatment Center, a creation of our local county court system, a program involving a variety of support groups aimed at providing where viable an alternative to the “lock ‘em up approach” to crime.

Yes, there are instances where “lock ‘em up” is in order. But there are also instances where the crime is such and the perpetrator such that incarceration may not be the best option, both for the perpetrator and society as a whole.

As described in program policy material, the treatment court was set up as an alternative to jail time to “address specific treatment needs of the substance abusing individuals” involved in the local court system; the court’s purpose “to achieve a reduction in recidivism and substance abuse among nonviolent substance abusing offenders and to increase the offender’s likelihood of successful habilitation through early, continuous and intense judicially supervised treatment, mandatory periodic drug testing, community supervision and use of appropriate sanctions and other habilitation services.”

Taken together, the program calls on a variety of players, from the judge to the prosecutor to defense counsel to probation services and community support groups, all working to insure that offenders are able to overcome their substance abuse in order to become contributing members of society.

Take the time to check the story on this week’s Record page A1 for a look at Monday’s special event before a full house in the small courtroom at the courthouse.

Those in attendance got a first-hand look at the workings of the court directed by Judge Michael Salisbury. He called the day “the most significant day in my judicial life.” You could see he took great pride in recognizing the program’s first graduate, a county man identified only as “Adam H.”

He praised the man’s accomplishments in completing what looks to be a daunting program to redemption. The court told Adam he deserved “all the accolades,” that he knew how hard the treatment court graduate worked to remain alcohol free for an extended period of time to become a contributing member of society.

Not all program participants, it should be noted, come out with a victory. Moments before “Adam H.” was lauded, Salisbury was critical of an orange jumpsuit-clad man who had not lived up to the terms of program participation and was returned to prison for that failure to comply.

But the success of such programs was exemplified by Matt Welickovitch, a Montoursville man who had gone through a similar treatment court in Lycoming County, this after a two-decades-long battle with drugs and alcohol.

Welickovitch made in effect a public confession to his arduous journey to get sober and drug free, how he struggled through his youth and into adulthood, unable to overcome the demons affecting him. Only through his relatively recent participation in the Lycoming treatment
program was he “able to rehabilitate my character” and become a functioning member of society.
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Welickovitch, once he got “sober,” (his word) completed law school at Penn State and recently passed the state bar. But of all the certifications he has received, he said his certification from the Lycoming County Treatment Court was “as important as any others.”

The small courtroom had in attendance some of those presently enrolled in the Clinton treatment court program. If they ever needed to hear firsthand that their efforts to improve themselves would be worthwhile, Welickovitch provided the message.

Welickovitch and Adam H. showed that with the help of others, specifically treatment court in their home counties, they could overcome their demons. Two victories at the local level. Treatment Court won’t solve all the nation’s drug and alcohol related ills but it’s a step, an important step taken here at home.

Renovo Rallies:

A shout-out to the Renovo community for its response to word of a Saturday night robbery at the Service Garage on Huron Avenue.

In case you missed it, an intruder at the longtime Renovo business entered the building while a high school student was cleaning up. The robber made off with money and remains free as of this writing.

Borough residents have been making great strides recently in a number of areas, from preservation to restoration to police hires to infrastructure rebuilds. But they were left stunned that someone would rob a high school kid cleaning up at work.

In a matter of 24 hours or so western Clinton County residents stepped up and raised $3,400 to put towards a reward for anyone providing information leading to the arrest and conviction of the robber. Butch Knauff is among those involved in the fundraising effort. He told Down River it was time to “stop the dumb crap” going on in the community.

It is understood that $1,000 of the money raised will go as a reward for apprehension of the Service Garage robber, the rest held in reserve for any such future instances.

Dozens and dozens of borough residents jumped in, united in their effort to send a message that brazen crime won’t be tolerated. Renovo is clearly working its way through some tough times, buoyed by the prospects of a significant and lasting employer at the old rail yards site. The community showed that resolve one more time in response to last Saturday’s robbery.

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