(Stillwater, Okla.) — Keeping addicts out of prison by sending them through Drug Court, which is an intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment program, saves taxpayers an enormous amount of money.
That’s according to figures released by Payne County Drug Court Executive Director Noel Bagwell, 48, of Cushing.
During the past three years, the Payne County Drug Court has saved taxpayers $1,597,000 — compared to what it would cost to send addicts to prison, Bagwell said.
In that time period, Drug Court for Logan County — which is in the same judicial district as Payne County — has saved taxpayers $1,187,000, Bagwell said.
That adds up to a total of $2,784,000 savings to taxpayers from both Drug Courts in this judicial district, Bagwell said.
The figures are based on “people who successfully graduated the program who probably otherwise would have been sentenced to prison,” Bagwell said.
The cost to send an addict through Drug Court is $5,288 for a year — compared to nearly $21,000 a year to keep an addict in prison, Bagwell said.
Payne County Drug Court receives funding from the state Department of Mental Health and the state Department of Corrections, as well as the Stillwater United Way, Bagwell said.
The cost to Drug Court participants is $1,980 — based on a 12-month program, Bagwell said.
But the savings are more than financial, Bagwell said.
“We know that addiction certainly has legal consequences — it has health consequences,” as well, Bagwell emphasized.
“Within the last year, we’ve had a number of clients in the program not realizing that they had major illness.
“On getting clean and sober, three discovered they had cancer. Two had heart issues. They had been successful in Drug Court.
“They didn’t even realize they were sick physically,” while they were addicted, Bagwell said.
“This program has unlimited good that can come out of it,” emphasized Bagwell, who spent 20 years in law enforcement including serving as sheriff of Payne County.
Three years ago, Bagwell, who had been on the Payne County Drug Court Board of Directors since 1999 when it became a non-profit organization two years after Drug Court began, was appointed interim executive director.
In October, Bagwell resigned from the Board of Directors when he was named executive director of Payne County Drug Court.
“I think it’s an excellent program. It definitely has its place. The people who are eligible, we’re seeing success with,” Bagwell said.
“We’ll average 94 or 95 participants. We’re down to 85 due to the number of graduations we’ve had since July.
“We’ve been exploring the possibility of becoming a mental health provider.
“We’re working toward that certification, in addition to the substance abuse certification we already have, which will enable our counselors to better treat the clients we’re serving,” Bagwell said.
Currently the average age of participants in Payne County Drug Court is 34 — 81 percent of whom are male, Bagwell said.
Thirty-three percent of the participants are married, while 23 percent are divorced or separated, and 44 percent never married, Bagwell said.
For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, marijuana was the top drug of choice at 35.7%; alcohol was next at 31%; methamphetamine was 26%; the balance were other substances such as prescription drugs and cocaine, Bagwell said.
“Out of the past three years as of June 30, 2013, we’ve had three re-offend of 96 graduates in Payne County and eight re-offend of 55 graduates in Logan County,” Bagwell said.
If people don’t abide by the rules by going AWOL or getting another charge, they are terminated from Drug Court, Bagwell said. During the past three years, that happened to 59 people in Payne County Drug Court and 38 in Logan County Drug Court, Bagwell said.
“If you’re terminated, most of these people are given some incarceration by the judge, whether it’s county jail or prison,” Bagwell said.
“Drug Court is a collaborative effort of the District Attorney, defense attorneys, the court system and our Drug Court staff — working together to give these people an opportunity to change their lives.
“People struggle with addiction even though they successfully complete the program. It doesn’t just go away. It’s daily.
“We give them the tools. We hold them accountable. Hopefully, they’ll have better tools to make the right choices,” Bagwell said.
“We will help them. They’ve got to want to be successful,” said Bagwell, who has a staff of five consisting of counselors, case managers and a coordinator.
After people complete the Payne County Drug Court program, they are given an anonymous questionnaire by the state Mental Health Department, Bagwell said.
“Last year, one person wrote ‘Drug Court is awesome. It helped me change my mind. I would love to work here one day,” Bagwell said.
Another graduate of Drug Court wrote, “If I did not have Drug Court, I would have never changed my life.”
And that’s what it’s all about.
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