Editor's note: This is part of an ongoing look at crime and law enforcement in and around Newton County by The Covington News.
While there has been a recent uptick in crime in Newton County, as described in previous stories in The Covington News’s series on crime in our community, there are ways to help combat this issue available locally.
There is no shortage of crime reform and outreach programs within the community. The judicial court, school system, sheriff’s office and other agencies all lend their hands to the fight against crime by providing ways to help improve how crime is handled and prevent future occurrences.
Accountability Courts
Within the judicial system, there are several accountability courts. These were put in place in 2012 by Georgia Legislature to reduce the state’s prison population and provide alternatives for sentencing of nonviolent offenders. They are also cost-effective ways to ensure that there are resources and space in prisons for criminals who deserve to be there.
Judge Kendall Wynne, Jr. presides over the drug court in Newton County. This court, which began in 2013, deals with non-violent offenders who struggle with drug addiction and provides them with treatment. According to Wynne, there are 10 key components of a drug court:
• Drug courts integrate alcohol and other drug treatment services with justice system case processing.
• Using a non-adversarial approach, prosecution and defense counsel promote public safety while protecting participants' due process rights.
• Eligible participants are identified early and promptly placed in the drug court program.
• Drug courts provide access to a continuum of alcohol, drug, and other related treatment and rehabilitation services.
• Abstinence is monitored by frequent alcohol and other drug testing.
• A coordinated strategy governs drug court responses to participants' compliance.
• Ongoing judicial interaction with each drug court participant is essential.
• Monitoring and evaluation measure the achievement of program goals and gauge effectiveness.
• Continuing interdisciplinary education promotes effective drug court planning, implementation, and operations.
• Forging partnerships among drug courts, public agencies, and community-based organizations generates local support and enhances drug court program effectiveness.
Wynne said participants of drug court must attend court once a week and treatment three times a week. They must actively participate in searching for jobs and must conduct community service until they found employment. They are also given a curfew and are subject to random drug tests and home searches.
Participants pay a participation fee and move through five different phases of the program. As they move up a phase, they receive benefits such as extended curfews and less frequent trips to court. Participants must pass drug tests and follow all guidelines to move through the phases.
If a participant relapses, they are encouraged to tell the judge or one of the other members of drug court in order to receive a less severe sanction.
“I tell them when they come in that I value honesty among all else,” Wynne said. “That means if you relapse, I want you to tell me about it or a member of the drug court team. Let somebody know, because there will be a sanction, but it will be less severe if you’re honest about it up front.”
Less severe sanctions include community service. If participants do not confess, and it is instead discovered through drug testing, they may be subject to jail time.
“The reason for that is because addiction is based on deception,” Wynne said. “A person who is addicted is lying to himself, lying to family and friends, lying to everybody. They’re never going to begin recovery until they’re honest.”
According to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, drug courts have reduced the reconviction rates by an average of approximately 8 to 26 percent.
“The benefits to the community are that you do see a reduction in recidivism,” said Wynne, referring to relapse into criminal behavior. “You do see people who are unemployed become employed, tax-paying people who take care of their families. It has been proven to work across the country.”
Wynne, who is a former prosecutor, was once apprehensive about drug courts, but the benefits have since made him a believer.
“Once I saw the research and understood that yes, people do have a choice about whether or not they use drugs and they should face the consequences, but the thing about addiction is that once they use that first time, if they’re an addict, they don’t have a choice after that,” he said. “You can put a true addict in prison, but once he gets out, he’s just going to go back to using because of that addiction. It seemed to me to be a better use of our money to break that cycle.”
Similar to drug court is the mental health court, which is also called resource court and is run by Judge Samuel Ozburn in Newton County. In order to qualify for resource court, offenders must be non-violent and have a diagnosis of a severe mental illness that can be tied to the crime in which they committed. The victim of the crime must also give approval for the offender to be admitted to the court, which is also true of drug court.
While drug court has a set system, participants of resource court receive individualized treatment based on their condition. Also, while there is no standard time for how long they can be in treatment, the participation may not surpass the sentencing they were given based on their original crime.
Newton County’s resource court began in 2014 and has since grown by 50 percent. As of May, the court had 23 participants and is now up to 26, according to Ozburn. In its two years of existence, the court has seen a zero percent recidivism rate, meaning that no graduates of the program have relapsed back into criminal activity and gone back to prison, versus the standard 40-50 percent.
“You are addressing the problem that people have and at the same time, you’re saving money,” Ozburn said. “There’s a lower population in the county jails, and there’s less money being spent in the prison system for psychiatric treatment.”
According to Ozburn, it cost the county $17,000 per person for treatments in the jail system prior to the start of resource court. The current cost has dropped to $1,200.
“There are more accountability courts coming on board because people see how they work,” Ozburn said. “You save money and you’re really treating the problem. You see the change in people. They look different, they act different and they have a different persona about them. When they get out, their families are proud of them. I’m just honored to be a part of that process.”
Judge Horace Johnson presides over the parental accountability court in Newton County, which deals with non-custodial parents who have gotten behind on child support payments. The court helps the parents with job searches, identifying barriers such as substance abuse and helps the parents gain a more positive view of themselves.
“Sometimes it’s always about money, so we try to talk about them,” Johnson said. “We try to build them up and help them remember that the little person they helped bring into this world needs their positive influence.”
The goal is mold consistent-paying parents, as well as improve visitation with the families and strengthen co-parenting during a 12-18-month program.
“We’ve been successful with getting them to start paying [their child support], but we’ve also been successful with repairing or establishing better relationships,” Johnson said.
Johnson will also be starting a veteran’s court in 2017, which will focus on veteran’s who have specific needs, such as those who suffer with drug abuse or mental health issues like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The system for the veteran’s court will run similarly to the drug and resource courts.
Community Outreach
There are several programs within the community that try to prevent crime, starting with children. Judge Johnson also works with Newton Mentoring, a program whose mission is “to build and strengthen the character and competence of children and youth.”
Through the program, which began in 2008, adult, trained mentors spend one hour per week with a child during the school week. Mentees learn good character traits and values and have the chance to interact with non-academic and non-parental adults who are interested in their development and provide support beyond the classroom.
“We seek people who can share with students at a school of their choice and have conversations about life, sports and other general things that can help them be more well-rounded individuals when they grow up,” Johnson said. “We try to be narrow in our focus so we can be effective and help the student become better.”
Those interested in mentoring may contact Margaret Washington at 678-381-7948 or visit newtonmentoring.com.
The Newton County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) sponsors the C.H.A.M.P.S. program, which stands for Choosing Healthy Activities and Methods Promoting Safety. Through this program, 5th graders within the Newton County School System (NCSS) are taught about various subject matters, including drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse prevention, gangs and violence, peer pressure and internet safety.
After completion of the program, students attend a graduation where Sheriff Ezell Brown encourages them to become “NBA” stars in life, or to “Never Be Arrested.”
The Newton County judicial court has also made it a point to emphasize education in its sentencing.
“One of the things that was obvious to me when I took the bench was illiteracy,” Ozburn said. “There’s a clear correlation between education level and criminal conduct. The less able you are to read, balance a checkbook, fill out a job application or other basic things, the more likely you are to commit crime.”
The judges require every person that is sentenced to probation to get a GED unless they have college experience. GED classes are offered for free at Perimeter College of Georgia State University. If their education level is low, they are required to take literacy classes.
The court also provide tours to schools and allows students to sit in on appropriate court cases to give them a better understanding of law enforcement and the judicial system. After adjournment, the judge will talk to the students and answer questions.
“We want them to see that we enforce the law right here in Covington instead of just Atlanta or Los Angeles or wherever they may see in the news,” Ozburn said. “Seeing that has a great impact on them. Letting them see people brought in and hearing what they did and hearing the sentence shows them that you can get punished for doing these things.”
Students are also exposed to different career routes through the court tours, such as court reporters, clerks, researchers and more.
“We let them know about court in a way that is informative and to let them know about their government,” Ozburn said. “When they ride by the building, they know what goes on here.”
