LEWISTON – Judge John Beliveau appealed to hundreds of Chamber members at their monthly breakfast meeting yesterday for something his family drug court really needs.
Jobs.
“You’re the leaders in this community, we need your support,” said Beliveau to the crowd gathered at the Ramada Inn. “Many recovering parents need jobs. Employment is a motivating factor. … It helps build self esteem.”
The district court judge spearheaded a novel program last year to stop the revolving door of substance abusers who were appearing in his courtroom in child protection cases. Beliveau estimated 75 percent of the cases he saw involved a parent with alcohol or drug addiction that prevented them from nurturing and caring for a child.
He applied for grant money to start the Family Treatment Drug Court, a program that takes a dual approach to treating offenders. Participants receive substance abuse treatment from a team of clinicians while participating in a behavior modification program anchored in the courts. They meet with a court case worker each week, with Beliveau twice a month, and subject themselves to random drug testing twice a week. A combination of rewards and sanctions keeps the participants focused on their goal: kicking their habits and becoming good parents.
“Parents are the primary client, but everything is done with the best intentions of the child in mind,” said Beliveau.
To date, 12 people are in the program, which typically takes a year to complete. The Lewiston program is half-way through a two-year grant.
But there are some early successes. Two people have progressed to the point where they can have supervised custody of their children.
Beliveau said one man – who had been abused as a child – grew up with a history of problems that landed him in the juvenile and then adult criminal justice system. A substance abuser, he became a dad.
The child was placed in state custody, and the man entered the family drug court program. “He snapped around,” said Beliveau.
Now he’s off Supplemental Security Income and has a full-time job. Lindsay Camire, the case manager who’s been working with this man, said he’s still in the reunification process and optimistic that he can become a good father.
“We are hopeful we can break the cycle,” said Beliveau.
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