North Enotah Drug Court Explained
News October 14, 2018
HIAWASSEE, Ga. – North Enotah Drug Court Coordinator Barbara Honaker shared the details of the judically supervised program, extended to felony drug offenders as an alternative to imprisonment, with the Mountain Movers and Shakers on the morning of Friday, Oct. 12.
North Enotah Drug Court encompasses the counties of Towns and Union, and works closely with law enforcement to promote positive change in the lives of those convicted of drug violations. “You have to have a heart for what we do,” Honaker explained at the beginning of the presentation. The program addresses addiction while coaching individuals on how to live productive, drug-free lives.
North Enotah Drug Court Coordinator Barbara Honaker
The non-profit organization consists of a team of experts, focused on treating the whole health of the individual, instructs on personal finance, addresses parenting matters, and provides cognitive behavior intervention, in addition to moral reconation therapy. The rehabilitation program requires accountability from enrollees, with rigid guidelines set in stone. Participants receive counseling, attend numerous classes, including Alcoholics and/or Narcotics Anonymous, partake in volunteer service, and receive random drug screening to ensure abstinence from illicit substances and alcohol. Securing and maintaining employment is mandatory. Failure to abide by the stringent regulations set forth results in an “intense contract” which Honaker likened that of house arrest, with additional requirements applied. Honaker explained that enrollees must waive their Fourth Amendment right to search and seizure upon entering the program.
While considered a voluntary decision to enroll, candidates are required to admit before a judge that their arrest was drug-related prior to acceptance into the minimum 18- to 24-month program. Honaker informed that the felony accountability treatment results in a 73-percent success rate, saves taxpayer funds by reducing the number of inmates housed in jails, restores family units, and ultimately, changes lives.
North Enotah Drug Court is in its sixth year of operation, with the first graduation occuring in July of 2015. Upon inquiry, Honaker estimated that approximately 35-percent of participants engaged in opioid abuse prior to graduating from the program, although methamphetmine is the leading substance of addiction in the region.
Additional information on North Enotah Drug Court is available at http://www.northenotahdrugcourt.vpweb.com
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1 Comment
I am a former participant in the drug court program 2nd graduating class. The first graduation consisted of one individual who is now deceased. Not sure what they ruled his death. I know 3 of the next 7 have been arrested yet again myself included. One still incarcerated on several violent charges. I asked for after care help and Barbara refused. So what im asking is this 73% success rate include all drug courts or just our backwoods one alone? And they fail to mention any of the negative aspects of it. Just saying it isn’t asvpretty as she tries to paint it or herself. Thank you.