Judge Rosenblum, who ran unopposed last November for her second term on the town bench, spoke passionately and eloquently of her work on the East End Drug Court — she is one of three judges in Suffolk County to serve on this panel that meets twice weekly in Southampton and Riverhead. The East End court is one of 175 drug courts in the state, but according to the judge, drug court is just one of the “problem-solving” courts in the county that are “dedicated to controlling aberrant and anti-social behavior.” Other areas covered include domestic violence, mental health, sex offenders and an “integrated” court that covers matrimonial disputes and domestic violence.
“New York State has met with tremendous success with our problem-solving courts and is often cited as a model for others,” the judge stated, citing a 2003 study that showed these specialty courts had saved the state some $275 million in prison-related expenses and had a 29 percent lower re-arrest rate (13 percent vs. 29 percent) after three years versus those offenders who opted to go to jail.
Yet drug court suffers from the misconception, she admitted, “that it is the easy way out, which it most definitely is not. We are not talking about a hug-a-thug type program.” Participants are subjected to rigorous and on-going evaluation, monitoring and counseling over the course of one to two years. Only non-violent addicts are accepted into the program and if they successfully complete it, the charges against them are dropped. “There are many people who appear before me who say ‘this just isn't for me; just send me to jail and get it over with,' but it's been proven that drug court is the better way to prevent future behavior than just serving jail time.”
The key to its effectiveness is a team approach that includes the judge, an assistant district attorney, the offender's lawyer (either a Legal Aid or private attorney), probation officer and coordinator. Only the coordinator receives compensation for this duty; all other members serve as a part of their regular responsibilities. The group meets every week but the participant may call on the services of the coordinator at any time and in high-risk cases, may be required to check in on a daily basis. If “weekly breath and urine tests indicate that the offender is clean, we all say ‘yea!' If they are not clean, they get a very different reaction from the court,” the judge said. Successful participation in the program culminates in a graduation ceremony, “an event never to be forgotten and always to be cherished … there's not a dry eye in the entire room.”
In closing, the justice said, “I believe that if, at the end of your days, you can say ‘not only was I the best person I could be but I did everything I could to help others,' then I think you've lived a good life. This drug court has given me that miraculous opportunity.”
The League also presented its programming for the upcoming year at this meeting, as well as the slate of officers. Phyllis G. Gates was nominated for vice-president, with the positions of vice-president for communication and the chair of the natural resources and education committees remaining open at this time.