There is a crime wave washing over Maui. According to Wendy Hudson, supervisor of Maui’s Public Defender Office, approximately 85 percent of all crime on Maui is done by people on drugs or alcohol.
If all of these people overcome their addictions, there will be very little crime on Maui. Impossible? Luckily, this isn’t the thinking or experience of the Maui/Molokai Drug Court, headed by Chief Circuit Judge Shackley F. Raffetto and Administrator Barbara-Ann Keller, who have already graduated 262 alcoholics/addicts from their highly successful program.
Maui/Molokai Drug Court is a drug and alcohol treatment program that addresses both addiction and criminal thinking while providing intensive monitoring and supervision.
Drug Court costs approximately $7,000 per participant, takes 12 to 18 months minimum and has a 16 percent recidivism rate for all graduates. On the other hand, it costs $30,000 to house this same addict in jail for a year with a 50 percent to 81 percent recidivism rate.
Do the math. Imprisonment adds up to more suffering for addicts and their families, more money from the state and less success! Supporting Drug Court is a no-brainer. Right now Maui Drug Court has over 100 people on its waiting list. An addict has to wait almost one year before being admitted into the program. Anyone familiar with addiction knows that when an addict asks for treatment, it is wise to take advantage of that window of opportunity — a lapse in time to receive treatment can sometimes be a matter of life or death.
Drug Court is hoping to receive funding from the Legislature this year to increase its program capacity to address the ever-expanding wait list. While the main financial support comes from the state through the judiciary, there are also things that we can do at the county level.
As with many Maui residents, housing is an issue. Those in recovery from addiction need clean and sober housing, especially during the tenuous transition time.
The community can also help by providing jobs. While it is understandable that businesses would be hesitant to hire recovering addicts, employers can be reassured that these employees are actually drug tested regularly and are heavily supervised by their judicial case managers and ultimately the judge.
Having been a social worker on Maui for many years, I am very excited about this program. It combines the compassion of social work with the defined boundaries of the judicial system. As many addicts come from dysfunctional and/or abusive families, the court temporarily acts as the surrogate for the clear and loving parents until eventually the person can rely on peer support and ultimately their own inner self-worth and discipline.
In a recent weekly status hearing, Judge Rafetto reminded a man, “This is still the criminal justice system. You don’t seem to be applying yourself in this program. If you don’t want to do this, there are over 100 people on the waiting list. You can speak to your attorney about the alternatives — there is always prison.”
This was not a threat; it was a realistic reminder of what the consequences of not participating in his own recovery would be. In the next moment, Judge Rafetto talked story with other program members, asking them about the particulars in their lives and praising them for their hard work and progress.
I found especially compelling his treatment of the current inmates, brought to court in shackles and orange jumpsuits. He spoke to them straightforwardly and respectfully. He later informed me that in most criminal court hearings the judge doesn’t speak directly to the defendant, only to his lawyer.
I believe that Drug Court works because when addicts are treated with compassion, respect and extremely clear boundaries, there is a higher likelihood that they will be motivated to engage in their own recovery, rebuild their lives and start to form healthier relationships with themselves and others.
The Maui/Molokai Drug Court and also the Family Court Drug Court are great assets for Maui County. I hope that we can increasingly support them on a community level with housing, employment and training opportunities for participants and graduates.
• Netra Halperin has worked as a social worker on Maui, the Mainland and Canada for 13 years. She is a candidate for a seat on the Maui County Council. She lives in Kahului.
