by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer
Civic Association members and guests at the Feb. 5 meeting heard Steve Blount, assistant district attorney for the 12th Judicial District, who presented an overview of the Franklin County Drug Court and drug treatment program. Prior to the program in the business portion of the meeting, there was a review of the Sewanee Elementary School desegregation program on Jan. 19 and an update on the Community Chest fund drive.
Offering background on the origins of the Franklin County Drug Court and drug treatment program that serves the 12th Judicial District, Blount cited statistics showing that since the War on Drugs began in the 1960s, “we’ve arrested a lot of people, but we still have the problem, and it may even be worse.”
Since 1980, the U.S. prison population has quadrupled, and drug convictions have increased tenfold. In Franklin County, 75 percent of all incarcerations are drug-related. It costs between $20,000 and $30,000 annually to incarcerate an individual, Blount said. If the children of that individual end up in state custody, each child costs the state $31,000 a year.
An individual diverted from the prison pipeline to the Drug Court Program, however, costs the state only $4,000.
Unlike probation, those admitted into the Drug Court Program receive counseling, addiction treatment and intensive drug screening. More than 50 percent successfully complete the program and recidivism is low, 10 percent in the 12th Judicial District for those who complete the program compared to a state average of 51 percent for those sent to prison.
The Drug Court program “saves money and saves lives,” Blount said, by bringing families back together and turning addicts into productive, employed citizens.
During the business meeting, Kiki Beavers reported the Community Chest fund drive is $8,000 short of reaching its $108,000 goal. This year, 90 new donors have made contributions to the fund drive, but 69 individuals who donated in 2013 have not yet responded to the request for contributions. If those past donors would make a contribution at last year’s level, totaling $13,000, the fund drive would surpass the current goal.
Association president Susan Holmes posed a question to the group, “What kinds of projects should the Civic Association be considering in the future?” Holmes invited community members to send ideas to <sewaneecommunitychest@gmail.com>.
On Jan. 19, the Civic Association sponsored a commemorative ceremony in honor of the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of SES and the Franklin County Public Schools. A video recording of the speakers at the ceremony can be viewed at <sewaneecivic.wordpress.com>. In conjunction with the event, the Civic Association arranged for University of the South media archivists and students to video record the experiences of individuals who were enrolled in the Franklin County Public Schools in 1963 and 1964. The Civic Association is looking for opportunities to expand the oral history project to include the voices of other former students from that era.
The next meeting of the Civic Association is scheduled for March 5.
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