LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i Drug Court graduate Larissa Urynowicz proudly went from Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center to Kaua‘i Community College, she said. “Thanks to the Drug Court program I’ve found a new way to live,” she said at her Drug Court
LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i Drug Court graduate Larissa Urynowicz proudly went from Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center to Kaua‘i Community College, she said.
“Thanks to the Drug Court program I’ve found a new way to live,” she said at her Drug Court graduation ceremonies Friday in a courtroom where her presence previously meant she was in trouble.
“When I was using (drugs) I was unemployable, I was a liar, and you couldn’t depend on me,” she said in her prepared statement.
She had a long list of people to thank for helping her get and stay sober, first and foremost “my dad for always being by my side.”
The Kaua‘i Drug Court program works to halt “the revolving door of addiction,” said Alton Amimoto, Drug Court administrator.
Earl Teves and Terrance Oliver were the other two graduates, and a fourth, unnamed person, “did not make it,” Amimoto said. “Hopefully we’ll see him graduate another day.”
The graduates of the rigorous program saw their probation periods shortened, and some had their charges dismissed, said Amimoto.
Teves, who intends to remain on O‘ahu where he underwent substance-abuse treatment, is working, and intends to stay on O‘ahu, said Amimoto.
Teves thanked his Senior Probation Officer Jack Viohl, Drug Court staff and Family Court Judge Calvin Murashige.
“I would like to thank the Drug Court program for giving me a second chance at life,” said Oliver, who also thanked Viohl.
“If Jack wasn’t always hard on me I don’t think I would ever make it,” said Oliver, who thanked his peers “who showed me the right path” and those struggling because “they show me where I don’t want to be and made me appreciate where I am today.”
Amimoto wanted to thank Murashige, who is retiring at year’s end. “His calm demeanor and temperament was such a good fit for the Drug Court model.”
In attendance at the graduation were state Sen. Ron Kouchi, D-Kaua‘i-Ni‘ihau; state Reps. Mina Morita, D-Kapa‘a-Hanalei, and Roland Sagum, D-Po‘ipu-Waimea-Ni‘ihau; and County Council Chair Kaipo Asing, Vice Chair Jay Furfaro, and members Tim Bynum, Lani Kawahara and Derek Kawakami.
Former Councilman Mel Rapozo, vice president of the nonprofit volunteer Friends of the Kaua‘i Drug Court, spoke on behalf of the friends group.
The Kaua‘i Drug Court opened its doors in August of 2003.
It is designed and operated based on training received by the National Drug Court Institute.
It is a collaborative effort of the primary criminal-justice entities: state Judiciary, state Public Defender, County of Kaua‘i Office of the Prosecuting Attorney and Kaua‘i Police Department.
Other partners involved include the state Department of Health and county Department of Liquor Control.
Since inception, the Kaua‘i Drug Court has graduated 95 clients. Of these clients, three have been re-convicted of felony drug offenses.
Some 49 clients remain active and in the program. Of these, 17 are women and 32 are men.
Many were in the courtroom at Friday’s graduation ceremonies.
Of the active clients, three are off-island in residential treatment.
An alumni group has been founded, and meets regularly to offer support and help to existing clients, said Amimoto.
The Kaua‘i Drug Court has been a state-funded operation since inception. In addition to Amimoto and Viohl, staff includes Senior Probation Officers Tori Ann Laranio and Jennifer Tone, Certified Substance Abuse Counselor Araceli Gonzalez and Judicial Clerk Tammy Kakutani.
Amimoto said the Kaua‘i Drug Court is unique in its supervision of clients, using GPS tracking units and remote alcohol-use detection along with after-hours and weekend monitoring of clients.
In addition to Rapozo, members of the Friends of the Kaua‘i Drug Court board are Dean Toyofuku, president; Clyde Nonaka, treasurer; Mary Ann Ornellas, secretary; and Kimberly Foster and Cathy Shibuya, directors.
Recent community-service projects of the clients include cleaning Hanama‘ulu Beach Park last month, whereby through a partnership between the county Ho‘olokahi program, the Hanama‘ulu community, state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, county groundskeepers and KPD the park was cleaned and all graffiti removed.
Regular county maintenance of the park is supplemented by Drug Court clients and alumni, and over 30 people show up for this regular project, said Amimoto.
The beach park at one time was one of the largest “drug-abuse havens” on the island. “Many of our clients related personal stories about Hanama‘ulu Beach Park.
“The restorative-justice concept utilizes projects such as these to help ‘balance’ the wrongs that our clients have committed in the past,” he said.
LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Drug Court not only runs a tight ship thathelps clients get and stay drug- and alcohol-free to programgraduation and beyond.
Now, the innovative program also helps clients with housing untilthey are able to fly on their own, the program administratorsaid.
The Drug Court in a partnership with Women in Need, Ke Ala Hoku,and Hope Help and Healing, has established emergency housing forclients on the island, said Alton Amimoto.
The housing is utilized on a temporary basis, with clients movingout once they have established stable housing elsewhere or havebecome self-supporting, he said.
Some of the houses also include substance-abuse-treatment programs,so the Drug Court clients in the temporary housing find themselvessurrounded not only by supportive housemates and staff but alsowith access to programs to help keep them on the straight andnarrow.
Drug Court client levels are at an all-time high in the 7-year-oldprogram, and without more staff the program may have to establish afirst-ever waiting list for available slots in the prison-diversionprogram.
“We would hope that we could avoid a waitlist,” he said.
The program has also worked to expose ex-addicts and non-addicts topotential careers in judiciary-related occupations, saidAmimoto.
“We will continue to be a teaching and education program forstudents,” said Amimoto.
“We have accepted a substance-abuse-counselor student in the past.We have had several students pursuing theirsubstance-abuse-treatment-certification work here at the Kaua‘iDrug Court,” he said.
“Of significance is that these students are Kaua‘i Drug Courtgraduates as well. We have offered two college students a shortvolunteer program, and had hired, with federal funds, a studenthelper this past summer.
“We look forward to accepting other students in the future, topromote careers in probation, probation supervision,administration, substance-abuse counseling and otherjudiciary-related occupations,” he said.
