Cuts made to successful Utah County 'drug court' program

"If it works, we're helping people, we're changing lives, leave it alone," Jarvis said, who just finished several years working with drug-court clients. "We're catching offenders when they're just getting started so they don't end up in that position where they are addicts and they have been convicted of a felony, then are basically screwed. If they get convicted of a felony, it takes everything away. They think, 'Well, I might as well just give up. I'm no good.'"

And once they give up, it's really hard to help them change, Jarvis said.

"It's like we're telling them, 'Go, commit a felony and (then) we'll help you,'" Jarvis said. "I can't believe that we do that, that we're willing to do that."

Defense attorney Stephen Frasier now works with drug court clients and said he sees pros and cons to the tougher requirements for drug court.

"I've had ... clients (who say) 'This (charge) is a serious wake-up call for me,'" he said. "There's no way they need drug court, it's way too restrictive. They would do well on their own ... outside of the court's power."

That out-of-court treatment may be essentially the same, Frasier said. They just won't report to a judge each week.

"If they can fix themselves through treatment, great," Frasier said. "If they can't and they re-offend, they'll end up in drug court."

Deputy Utah County Attorney Jason Sant took over drug court after Ragan and wonders if the changes will truly address the growing drug-addiction problem.

"It's much better to try to cut it off and get them the treatment they need upfront, so they don't become hard-core criminals," he said, "(rather than) waiting until they become a hard-core criminal then address the drug problem they have."

And for Diamond, that quick intervention changed her entire life, she says — something that might not happen again for someone like her who won't qualify under the new conditions.

"I'm a mother again, daughter again," she said, beaming at her three young children. "It's the very best thing that could have ever happened to me."

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