Adult Felony Drug Court lauds 10 graduates

After two straight days worth of hotel partying, Chris Rusho decided to get behind the wheel of his new Toyota 4x4, set on a destination of Coeur d’Alene. Rusho remembers the day, April 2, 2002. He remembers getting on the highway in Spokane. He doesn’t remember much after that, even totaling his pickup by hitting a semi head-on.

“To me, it was like a dream,” said Rusho, 21. “I got on the freeway, and I woke up in Deaconess (Medical Center).”

If his recollection is like a dream in the sense that it’s hazy, then his Thursday morning court appearance was more like a dream come true.

Rusho became one of 10 people to graduate Thursday from Adult Felony Drug Court. He now has a clean record and the right to vote.

Rusho, who needed three surgeries to repair facial injuries, faced felony drug charges for possession of methamphetamine and marijuana. He would have likely been convicted and sent to jail, were it not for the diversion program.

“It got him headed in the right direction,” said Rusho’s mother, Kathy Sanders, who described their relationship before his accident as a “battle.”

“It got him to deal with life in a normal capacity.”

Since 1997, the court has graduated more than 130 people. Judge Tari Eitzen calls people such as Rusho NORPs – Normal, Ordinary, Responsible People – a term she borrowed from a California judge. Thursday’s class was, she said, special.

“This is the biggest we’ve ever, ever had,” said Eitzen, who helped get the ball rolling for the program in 1994. At the time, she said, only about a dozen similar programs existed throughout the country.

The program is open to nearly all individuals charged with a felony drug charge or a felony relating to their drug use. People with prior convictions are eligible, as long as the convictions don’t stem from violent or sex crimes, or for a crime in which a firearm was used.

Prosecutor Mary Doran reviews various police reports to see if individuals qualify for the drug court. If they do, Doran asks individuals if they are interested in the program. Because it is very time-consuming, individuals are given a two-week trial period to see if they can remain committed to the program, which requires at least a one-year obligation. After that, individuals stipulate to the facts of the police reports – all but admitting guilt – and then enter the program. Upon successful completion, the testimony disappears, and the charge is dropped.

Eitzen said many of the people who enroll in the program are a little rough around the edges at first, often disliking the responsibilities. The program has five phases, which require individuals to attend self-help classes and professional counseling, to take random urine-analysis tests, to find a sponsor and a support group and to join either a men’s or women’s group.

As individuals move from phase to phase, the activities remain the same, but the frequency changes. Doran said about 40 percent of the people who enroll in the program fail.

“It was really hard at first, but eventually you get used to it, and you start liking it, and you can see what you can do,” said Rusho, who now attends Spokane Falls Community College and is an active participant in school groups.

In helping people start or restart their lives, the program also helps individuals stop their drug use – the relapse rate is just 10.6 percent. Depending on the study, Eitzen said, the national average for people charged with drug crimes is somewhere between 65 percent and 95 percent.

“We’re lifting people up instead of locking people up,” she said.

Funding for the program amounts to $1.5 million. Most notably, $500,000 came from the federal government, $278,000 with the passage of state House Bill 2338 and $42,000 from the county.

A number of county officials attended the ceremonies Thursday, as did family members of the graduates. Because of the large number of grads, the proceedings had to be held at two different sessions.

Some attended on their own, while others, such as Rusho, brought as many as 10 friends and family members.

Eitzen strayed from her typical duties as judge, venturing from behind her desk to introduce the graduates and give each a hug. Eitzen said becoming so involved with the people is “very difficult” because she must still remain true to her responsibilities.

What it comes down to, she said, is remembering that there are certain behavioral expectations and consequences for breaking them.

“I have to look at it as a parent,” said the judge, who performs the graduation ceremonies as often as every month.

One of the program’s first graduates, 37-year-old Terri Clarke, came to court Thursday to speak to the new graduates about the possibilities life has to offer and to collect a reward of her own. Each grad received a coin with a number on it stating his or her length of sobriety. Clarke received a coin as well, one for eight years.

“That is the most special thing I’ve ever done in my entire life,” she said.

Rusho’s coin commemorated nine months of sobriety. He said he plans to put it in the coffee mug he was also given, which states: “Recovery is for quitters.”

He said he looks forward to adding to the collection.