Deschutes County to end drug treatment court amid staffing woes

The decision drew concern from those who say the program helps people caught in the criminal justice system to overcome addiction and improve their lives.

“It would be an incredible tragedy,” Joel Wirtz, a defense attorney and the executive director of the public defense nonprofit Deschutes Defenders, said of ending the program.

The change comes as Central Oregon faces mounting challenges stemming from increased substance abuse and overdoses. The crisis has been heightened by the highly addictive and potentially lethal drug fentanyl, which has flooded the state and region at increasingly high rates.

Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels, who has been involved in the court’s drug treatment program for 23 years, said there would never be a good time for the program to end. However, he added: “Now is probably one of the worst times, because we’re dealing with a lot of really dangerous substances in our community, fentanyl in particular.”

The court will graduate the final five people in the program but plans to end it after that, said Angie Curtis, trial court administrator for the Deschutes County Circuit Court.

“There is no plan to initiate another treatment court at this time,” Curtis said.

Like drug courts nationwide, the program’s goal is to take people caught in the throes of addiction and help them become productive community members. The program can take up to 27 people annually, Curtis said.

Previously, people charged with crimes linked to substance abuse could apply to be in Deschutes County’s adult treatment court rather than having their case immediately tried in traditional court. The court would approve them for the program depending on a number of factors, including the nature of their charges, their history of compliance with probation and whether they have children.

Participants receive drug and mental health treatment, as well as guidance for employment and housing, to help them get back on their feet. They are monitored by a probation officer daily and are held accountable if they falter by using drugs or failing to attend treatment.

The Deschutes County Circuit Court and Deschutes County Community Corrections disclosed in a June 2022 statement that the program “will not be able to take any additional participants now or in the future.” Curtis said the statement went to “agency stakeholders” — which include various law enforcement and social service agencies — and that the program’s fate was discussed in meetings that involved local public safety officials.

Curtis said in an email to The Bulletin that a number of factors prompted the decision to end the program. She said the program’s previous treatment provider said it would not be able to continue to provide substance abuse treatment for its participants. No qualified organization applied to replace it, Curtis added.

In addition, the program was plagued by vacancies and turnover, including the loss of its coordinator. The court has not yet been able to fill this critical position.

Bend City Councilor Mike Riley, who recently attended the program’s graduation, described drug court as a crucial way for communities to confront several exacerbating problems in Oregon — substance abuse, mental illness and homelessness. Oregon ranks dismally in substance abuse treatment.

A recent report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said that in 2020, Oregon reported the second highest rate of alcohol and drug addiction nationwide but ranked last in access to treatment.

Riley said the people involved in the recent graduation reminded him of an extended family member who went through a drug treatment court in Washington. The family member was able to make significant changes, find jobs, housing and reestablish severed relationships.

“It seems like one of many tools that we should have in our community,” said Riley. “It’s just frustrating and disappointing when that’s not happening.”

Gunnels attributed the hiring struggles to steep Central Oregon housing prices and a beleaguered job market. He noted that the court has gone to “significant lengths to find a coordinator” and still couldn’t find someone to run it. He added that he’s confident the court will be able to revive the program once it attains ample staffing.

“I believe, one way or another, we’ll find someone,” he said.

Emily Culbertson, 34, of Redmond, graduated from the program in 2012. She said it changed her life.

Her struggles with substance abuse began when she was 12.

Born and raised in Redmond, she became addicted to methamphetamine at 13 and ended up in foster care. She briefly kicked her addiction when she became pregnant at 16. But soon after having her son, she started using drugs again. She went to prison. One year after her release, she relapsed and was back in jail. Facing incarceration, she sent out letters pleading to be placed in treatment or drug court.

In 2011, she was screened and approved for the program. She received mandatory treatment, parenting classes and more. The accountability helped her get her life back on track. She got her son back when he was 5.

“It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Culbertson said. “My life had gotten so good I decided that I didn’t wanna ruin it again.”

Now, she’s a substance abuse counselor for a regional treatment provider, where she’s worked for nine years.

She said some of the people who she attended drug court with are now her co-workers, and in recent years she volunteered in the court program.

Without drug court, she’s worried more people will use drugs, commit crimes and have their lives swallowed by the criminal justice system.

“It’s devastating,” she said. “I’m hoping they bring it back.”