The price tag: The impact of one woman's criminal career

Way back in early 2000, a Utah judge asked for a thorough evaluation on a young woman who'd come before him on charges related to her drug-abusing lifestyle.

"Let's find out if the subject is truly interested in turning her life around," 3rd District Judge Stewart Hansen said at the time.

Monique Knudsen was 23 then, a mother and already three years into a life of crime and addiction to methamphetamine and other drugs. The state put her on probation, but a federal officer who supervised her after a counterfeiting money conviction said early on that he was "concerned about her success."

That federal officer was prescient, or maybe just wise to the paralyzing pattern of offenders drawn into a life of drug addiction, crime and prison, and their rocky re-immersion into society.

Nearly eight years later, an exhaustive review of court and parole documents shows the state has invested thousands of hours — and hundreds of thousands of dollars — into helping Monique Knudsen try to turn her life around. So far, there hasn't been much return.

Her record belies her pleasant appearance and articulate speech.

• She has been charged with 26 crimes over the years, including drug possession, forgery, child endangerment and fleeing a peace officer. Through plea agreements, she has nine felony and four misdemeanor convictions.

• She has had five monthslong stints in prison or jail.

• She successfully completed at least one drug treatment program but walked away from at least three others.

• She has relapsed at least eight times since 2000 — her longest stint at sobriety was 16 months, according to parole documents.

• During more than four years under parole supervision, she collected 30 parole violations.

"Ms. Knudsen has been unwilling to comply with her conditions of supervision, even though she has been afforded several opportunities to do so. She has continued to use drugs and has chosen to disregard the conditions of supervision in the past, and judging from her previous performances during supervision, it is hoped her pregnancy will slow her down for a few weeks. Otherwise, it is expected she will resort to her old habits." —Adult Probation and Parole entry, May 29, 2003