|
May was National Treatment Court Month, which recognizes the vital role that rehabilitation, treatment and second chances play in our criminal justice system.
Celia Curtis, our office's Assistant District Attorney overseeing the treatment courts in Westchester, is on the front lines of this initiative, working with defendants to help them confront the challenges that contributed to their offense conduct.
Below is an interview with ADA Curtis outlining her experience with the treatment courts. It has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Why are the treatment courts an important part of the criminal justice system?
These courts matter because untreated addiction, mental illness and trauma frequently drive criminal conduct. That's really the basic premise, that incarceration alone doesn't reduce recidivism. These courts are about the whole person and involve individualized intervention. The goal is to have the participants function in society at a higher level than when they came in.
How many treatment courts are there, and what does the treatment court process look like?
There's Judicial Diversion, which is governed by statute and has certain eligible offenses. It’s meant for those who are using drugs and committing nonviolent crimes and where their drug or alcohol use is connected to their criminal behavior. There's also Mental Health Court, for defendants experiencing mental illness, and Veterans Treatment Court. The process involves accountability paired with treatment and typically results in a lesser conviction or even a dismissal of the charges.
These are very structured programs. There’s frequent judicial monitoring, mandatory treatment, testing and coordinated case management. There's an entire team surrounding the participants. It even extends to helping them get housing, employment and healthcare. It’s so different, because each of the treatment courts really does have its own personality.
How involved is the office in overseeing a participant's progress?
The cornerstone of the treatment courts is honesty. If a participant appears in court and, say, has tested positive for an illicit substance and admits to having relapsed, that's generally acceptable because that participant has demonstrated this bedrock principle. If a participant comes to court and makes up some mishegas about it, that can be damaging to their credibility and to our feeling that they are treatment ready. We don’t punish people or sanction people for relapsing, we work with them. Perhaps we'll increase their program participation. It's all very case specific.
We’re often talking about people who are addicted to drugs, and this is a disease. Suddenly, their case looks better because they’ve chosen themselves.
How does it feel to see your participants succeed in the treatment court process?
The success stories are really rewarding. We have these little graduations, and we all cry because we’re so happy for them.
| 
