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Montgomery County Court combats drug epidemic, reunifies families
Published: November 28, 2016
COLUMBUS—While Ohio continues to cope with the growing heroin epidemic, the Montgomery County Family Treatment Court is seeking a new solution for affected families.
The Family Treatment Court, which began accepting clients in early-October, is dedicated to improving the safety and well-being of children in the dependency system. The program offers outpatient care to drug-addicted parents by providing access to drug and alcohol treatment, judicial monitoring of sobriety, and individualized support services for families.
Judge Anthony Capizzi presides over the court, which is a collaborative effort of the Montgomery County Juvenile Court, Montgomery County Family Services, and Case Western Reserve University.
“The purpose of this court is to ensure that children are raised in a nurturing and healthy environment with parents who are drug free,” Judge Capizzi said. “Our goal is to reunify healthy families and avoid options like foster care when possible.”
The Family Treatment Court comes at a critical time for Ohio communities. According to data from Ohio Job and Family Services and Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services, Montgomery County saw a 132 percent increase in child welfare cases where opiates were noted as a reason for action between 2009 and 2013. The state of Ohio alone spends an estimated $45 million each year to place children who are victims of their parents’ drug use.
“The Family Treatment Court offers substantial cost savings to the state,” Judge Capizzi said. He estimates the annual cost of rehabilitation may be as much as 12 times the cost of the community, or outpatient, treatment offered by the program.
“That’s a cost benefit I’d be willing to take any day,” he said.
Despite these savings, the program, and similar programs throughout the U.S., have received pushback from community members.
“Drug addicts often relapse,” Judge Capizzi said. “Many think that saving the same drug addict three or four times is a waste of energy and government resources. But if I can help somebody survive—if I can keep a keep a parent alive and keep a child out of foster care—I don’t believe that’s a waste.”
Montgomery County Magistrate Nikole Xarhoulacos, who is assigned to the Family Treatment Court docket, shares Judge Capizzi’s sentiment.
“We certainly take a more progressive approach in addressing this issue,” she said. “We are advocates for rehabilitation because incarceration is not always a suitable solution. When you give treatment to those who need it, you’re giving them, and the community, the best possible option for the future.”
Several local and federal agencies have backed the program’s mission. In early September 2016, the Montgomery County Family Treatment Court was one of three nationwide recipients of a $600,000 Family Drug Court implementation grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
This grant has more than doubled the court’s resources. “Before the grant, I only had the capacity to serve 10 families,” Judge Capizzi said. “Now, I have the resources to serve 25 families for the next three years.”
While this is a significant step forward, Judge Capizzi acknowledges that there is still a larger need within the community that should be addressed, and that the need is continually changing.
“Right now, the issue is heroin, but that is likely to change in a few more years,” he said. “We have to constantly adapt to the needs of the community.”
Magistrate Xarhoulacos anticipates that the project will grow as support from local agencies increases.
“We wouldn’t be where we are today if not for the help of our community partners who have helped the program take off,” Magistrate Xarhoulacos said. “This program has the potential to help many people, and I’m eager to see how it grows in the future.”
The Ohio State Bar Association, founded in 1880, is a voluntary association representing approximately 22,000 members of the bench and bar of Ohio as well as nearly 4,000 legal assistants and law students. Through its activities and the activities of its related organizations, the OSBA serves both its members and the public by promoting the highest standards in the practice of law and the administration of justice.