Semi-kudos for Prince William County BOCS for restoring the DORM program to the regional jail. The DORM program deals with drug rehabilitation as well as other goal setting plans for the inmate. Nationally, the program has a 70% success rate, in that 70% of the program participants have not been re-incarcerated within three years.
According to Jeremy Borden in the Washington Post:
Prince William County supervisors restored the regional jail’s substance abuse treatment program Tuesday after weeks of lobbying from top law enforcement officials, judges and social service advocates.
Supervisors had cut the drug DORM (Drug Offender Rehabilitation Module), a savings of $607,000 a year, to help pave pave the way for an agreement to a fiscal 2014 budget. But support remained for the program, and supervisors said they would try to find a way to restore it.
They did so unanimously by cutting a new deputy county executive’s position at about $211,000; $140,000 in funds used to supplement the state-mandated county health department; and $180,000 that was previously unallocated, in addition to other, smaller cuts. Supervisors also used those funds to restore the Bluebird bus tour program, a transportation program for seniors.
The DORM program is apparently a people saver and a money saver. Local judges, the commonwealth’s attorney, and the sheriff all wrote a letter to the BOCS encouraging them to restore the program. One of the reasons cited was that it allows judges to sentence convicts to a lesser sentence if they successfully complete the program.
Judges Mary Grace O’Brien, Richard B. Potter, Lon E. Farris and Craig D. Johnston said in the letter that the substance abuse program in the regional jail allows for judges to reduce sentences for those who successfully complete it.
“It is a program in which we have confidence, unlike many others,” the judges wrote. “The men and women who graduate from these programs appear to be much more likely to become law-abiding citizens who can contribute to society in a positive fashion.
“Absent another choice, there may be no good way to protect society and to protect them, but to give them a lengthy sentence,” the judges added.
The BOCS should have familiarized themselves with the program before slicing and dicing. A phone call to Paul Ebert’s office or to one of the Circuit Court judges might have been in order rather than the arbitrary nature that the program was sliced. Additionally, it isn’t rocket science to understand that addiction leads to crime. and recidivism. Crime and incarceration cost money. If we can keep 70% of those who complete the program out of jail, we have saved the tax payers a lot of bucks.
We strongly advise the Board of County Supervisors to check in to these things rather than just chopping programs. We are glad they restored this program. Perhaps it is time to dwell for a moment on the old adage:
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
Good for them! Great poem, love it Moon, so true 🙂
Guess that ole tea party shoot first ask questions later didn’t work out so well when faced with reality.