Task force seeks justice, compassion
Cooperation among agencies keeping some people out of jail
Judge Chris Collier is enthusiastic about the drug court he presides over. Photo by GLENN WOJCIAK
MEDINA – The number of people incarcerated at the Medina County Jail has never been higher and a task force of judicial, law enforcement and social services professionals has never worked harder to keep those released from returning to jail.
The task force comprised of about two dozen members was formed 12 years ago at the request of County Commissioner Pat Geissman, who still chairs the annual meetings of the task force where participants report on recent and future actions.
The aim of the task force is to reduce recidivism and bring down the high costs of incarceration. According to Geissman, the cooperation among different agencies has made the effort more successful and Medina County a model for others to follow.
Common Pleas Court Judge Joyce Kimbler told task force members May 31 that she was preparing to address the Finance Committee of the Ohio Senate about the county’s success in implementing a $450,000 Targeted Community Alternative to Prison grant. Medina was one of just five counties in the state provided extra money for trial programs designed to deal with low-level felons who might otherwise be sent to a state prison.
Kimbler said Medina County is using the grant money to reopen a jail pod that had been closed as a cost savings measure. Kimbler said the occupants of that pod typically have a drug addiction that the county is addressing in other ways.
Judge Chris Collier said he presides over a drug court which has achieved good outcomes for participants through the cooperation of other agencies like Cathy’s House, a residence facility for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts; Alternative Paths, which provides counseling services; and the Adult Probation Department, which provides a variety of screening and recovery programs.
Collier said about 15 men and 15 women are in his drug court program at any one time and most of them successfully complete the early intervention program.
“My biggest frustration is that not more people take advantage of the program,” Collier said.
Jail Administrator Lt. Dean Lesak of the sheriff’s office said the jail population reached a 10-year high when it hit 267 on May 30. Counselors from Alternative Paths screen all new inmates for mental health and drug issues. Nearly 60 percent test positive for drug use. All are also offered group counseling, but many pass up the opportunity, according to Lesak.
Laura Toth, director of the Office for Older Adults, said the growing opioid epidemic is showing up at other places besides the jail. She said a growing number of elderly people have become addicted to pain killers that may have been prescribed too eagerly by physicians.
Toth cited a recent study which found that 15 percent of seniors were prescribed an opioid after being released from the hospital and 42 percent of them were still taking the medication three months later.
“It’s easy to understand why older people with health problems are prescribed pain killers,” Toth said. “It’s not well known that some of them are addicted to their medicine.”
Toth said too many seniors can also be misdiagnosed and that symptoms of their addiction can be misconstrued as dementia or other effects of aging.
“We need to educate more people about the chances of older people becoming addicted to drugs,” Toth said.
The task force comprised of about two dozen members was formed 12 years ago at the request of County Commissioner Pat Geissman, who still chairs the annual meetings of the task force where participants report on recent and future actions.
The aim of the task force is to reduce recidivism and bring down the high costs of incarceration. According to Geissman, the cooperation among different agencies has made the effort more successful and Medina County a model for others to follow.
Common Pleas Court Judge Joyce Kimbler told task force members May 31 that she was preparing to address the Finance Committee of the Ohio Senate about the county’s success in implementing a $450,000 Targeted Community Alternative to Prison grant. Medina was one of just five counties in the state provided extra money for trial programs designed to deal with low-level felons who might otherwise be sent to a state prison.
Kimbler said Medina County is using the grant money to reopen a jail pod that had been closed as a cost savings measure. Kimbler said the occupants of that pod typically have a drug addiction that the county is addressing in other ways.
Judge Chris Collier said he presides over a drug court which has achieved good outcomes for participants through the cooperation of other agencies like Cathy’s House, a residence facility for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts; Alternative Paths, which provides counseling services; and the Adult Probation Department, which provides a variety of screening and recovery programs.
Collier said about 15 men and 15 women are in his drug court program at any one time and most of them successfully complete the early intervention program.
“My biggest frustration is that not more people take advantage of the program,” Collier said.
Jail Administrator Lt. Dean Lesak of the sheriff’s office said the jail population reached a 10-year high when it hit 267 on May 30. Counselors from Alternative Paths screen all new inmates for mental health and drug issues. Nearly 60 percent test positive for drug use. All are also offered group counseling, but many pass up the opportunity, according to Lesak.
Laura Toth, director of the Office for Older Adults, said the growing opioid epidemic is showing up at other places besides the jail. She said a growing number of elderly people have become addicted to pain killers that may have been prescribed too eagerly by physicians.
Toth cited a recent study which found that 15 percent of seniors were prescribed an opioid after being released from the hospital and 42 percent of them were still taking the medication three months later.
“It’s easy to understand why older people with health problems are prescribed pain killers,” Toth said. “It’s not well known that some of them are addicted to their medicine.”
Toth said too many seniors can also be misdiagnosed and that symptoms of their addiction can be misconstrued as dementia or other effects of aging.
“We need to educate more people about the chances of older people becoming addicted to drugs,” Toth said.