strongernow
07-22-2004, 07:34 AM
JAILHOUSE RESEARCH:
Assistant DA spends weekend
in jail to test program’s effectiveness
By MELISSA N. WARREN / Review Appeal Staff Reporter
During her undercover investigation of the D.U.I. class at the Williamson County jail, Assistant District Attorney Georgia Felner (left) peeks out at her colleagues, Drug Court Coordinator Gayle Moyer Harris and Deputy District Attorney Derek Smith.
It was sunny on Sunday as Assistant District Attorney Georgia Felner stood half-way outside the door of the county jail — a privilege authentic DUI offenders don’t receive.
“I’m not allowed to come out yet,” she said as she tugged at her orange jumpsuit. “And nobody can see me talking to you guys.”
Felner’s two colleagues, Deputy District Attorney Derek Smith and Drug Court Coordinator Gayle Moyer Harris, sat on the picnic table beside the heavy steel door and asked about the quality of jail food.
“Well, it definitely was not catered,” Felner said. “We had peanut butter on flat, white bread and Jungle Juice. For dinner we had a hamburger, a good bun with no mold, tater tots, beans and Jungle Juice. And this morning ... Jungle Juice.”
Felner, who volunteered to spend 48 hours under lock and key as part of an undercover investigation of the DUI. program, was looking forward to getting home to her own refrigerator, but exclaimed that the time in jail was well worth it.
“The class was excellent,” she said. “That was the whole purpose of coming down here. I wanted to make certain that the comprehensive DUI. class gives offenders an education in the effects of alcoholism, the factors associated with drinking problems and the long-term consequences of driving under the influence.”
The class, an alternative method of punishment for first-time DUI. offenders, meets once a month for women and once a month for men at the Williamson County Criminal Justice Center. While it is highly recommended and supported by the D.A.’s office, it is not the only DUI. school available to offenders. Nonetheless, Felner thinks it is one of the best around.
“The education these offenders receive is proven to help stop them from being repeat offenders,” she said. “(District Attorney) General Ron Davis really supports the program and me ... not every district attorney general would allow his assistant to spend a weekend in jail.”
Offenders check themselves in on Friday afternoon and are released Sunday, although for this weekend, Felner was granted permission to sleep at her home under the guise of medical problems.
“I told them I checked in late on Friday due to chest pains, and I was supposedly in the medical ward on Saturday night,” Felner said. “During the weekend, [two representatives from Mother’s Against Drunk Driving came and talked about their feelings of being victims of D.U.I.'s. It was just a really great class.”
Currently, the class is just for first-time offenders, but it is not the only type of alternate punishment that Williamson County has explored. Harris, who works closely with Felner in her role as drug court coordinator, said it might surprise residents how many “liberal” programs there are within this “conservative” county.
“Our judicial system has brought in new ideas in hopes of cutting down and eliminating some of the problems that our community faces,” Harris said. “With Georgia, she is certainly not typical, but she’s unique and committed to finding ways to help people in need. She puts all her energy into accomplishing that in her unusual manner ... but it works.”
Harris and Felner are both excited about SCRAM (Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor), a new alcohol sensing device that is worn on an offender’s ankle and measures ethanol vapor to determine the amount of alcohol consumed. The ankle bracelet is tamper resistant and can store data for several days before sending it to the main office.
“And for adult drug felons, we have drug court,” Harris said. “We’re implementing a further extension of the drug court to include offerings to other offenders within the criminal justice system. We want to give them the opportunity for help with their emotional problems, specifically family issues, anger management, domestic violence and all levels of substance abuse treatment.”
Other forward thinking programs within the county’s judicial system include the Child Protection Investigation Team (CPIT), which focuses on crimes committed by child sex offenders, and the new implementation of check-points by the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department.
“There are just so many agencies working together to detect and prosecute crime in different ways,” Felner said.
Such alternatives appear to be working.
In early 2003, Judge Lonnie Hoover helped develop Teen Court, another program that gives teenagers an opportunity to evaluate juvenile members of their peer group who have allegedly been involved in misconduct. Throughout the country, Teen Court has proven to be very successful, and that record is echoed here in Williamson County.
“So far, we have seen no recidivists from Teen Court,” the judge said. “The kids who participate are excited and engaged in the court activities and take their cases very seriously.”
That seriousness is just what officials in this county are hoping for, and is the reason why Felner drank Jungle Juice all weekend.
“The traditional ways of detecting crime and punishing those crimes have not worked,” she said. “Instead of just warehousing the criminals and overcrowding our jails and prisons, we really need to stop the revolving door of our judicial system and address the underlying problems.”
Assistant DA spends weekend
in jail to test program’s effectiveness
By MELISSA N. WARREN / Review Appeal Staff Reporter
During her undercover investigation of the D.U.I. class at the Williamson County jail, Assistant District Attorney Georgia Felner (left) peeks out at her colleagues, Drug Court Coordinator Gayle Moyer Harris and Deputy District Attorney Derek Smith.
It was sunny on Sunday as Assistant District Attorney Georgia Felner stood half-way outside the door of the county jail — a privilege authentic DUI offenders don’t receive.
“I’m not allowed to come out yet,” she said as she tugged at her orange jumpsuit. “And nobody can see me talking to you guys.”
Felner’s two colleagues, Deputy District Attorney Derek Smith and Drug Court Coordinator Gayle Moyer Harris, sat on the picnic table beside the heavy steel door and asked about the quality of jail food.
“Well, it definitely was not catered,” Felner said. “We had peanut butter on flat, white bread and Jungle Juice. For dinner we had a hamburger, a good bun with no mold, tater tots, beans and Jungle Juice. And this morning ... Jungle Juice.”
Felner, who volunteered to spend 48 hours under lock and key as part of an undercover investigation of the DUI. program, was looking forward to getting home to her own refrigerator, but exclaimed that the time in jail was well worth it.
“The class was excellent,” she said. “That was the whole purpose of coming down here. I wanted to make certain that the comprehensive DUI. class gives offenders an education in the effects of alcoholism, the factors associated with drinking problems and the long-term consequences of driving under the influence.”
The class, an alternative method of punishment for first-time DUI. offenders, meets once a month for women and once a month for men at the Williamson County Criminal Justice Center. While it is highly recommended and supported by the D.A.’s office, it is not the only DUI. school available to offenders. Nonetheless, Felner thinks it is one of the best around.
“The education these offenders receive is proven to help stop them from being repeat offenders,” she said. “(District Attorney) General Ron Davis really supports the program and me ... not every district attorney general would allow his assistant to spend a weekend in jail.”
Offenders check themselves in on Friday afternoon and are released Sunday, although for this weekend, Felner was granted permission to sleep at her home under the guise of medical problems.
“I told them I checked in late on Friday due to chest pains, and I was supposedly in the medical ward on Saturday night,” Felner said. “During the weekend, [two representatives from Mother’s Against Drunk Driving came and talked about their feelings of being victims of D.U.I.'s. It was just a really great class.”
Currently, the class is just for first-time offenders, but it is not the only type of alternate punishment that Williamson County has explored. Harris, who works closely with Felner in her role as drug court coordinator, said it might surprise residents how many “liberal” programs there are within this “conservative” county.
“Our judicial system has brought in new ideas in hopes of cutting down and eliminating some of the problems that our community faces,” Harris said. “With Georgia, she is certainly not typical, but she’s unique and committed to finding ways to help people in need. She puts all her energy into accomplishing that in her unusual manner ... but it works.”
Harris and Felner are both excited about SCRAM (Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor), a new alcohol sensing device that is worn on an offender’s ankle and measures ethanol vapor to determine the amount of alcohol consumed. The ankle bracelet is tamper resistant and can store data for several days before sending it to the main office.
“And for adult drug felons, we have drug court,” Harris said. “We’re implementing a further extension of the drug court to include offerings to other offenders within the criminal justice system. We want to give them the opportunity for help with their emotional problems, specifically family issues, anger management, domestic violence and all levels of substance abuse treatment.”
Other forward thinking programs within the county’s judicial system include the Child Protection Investigation Team (CPIT), which focuses on crimes committed by child sex offenders, and the new implementation of check-points by the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department.
“There are just so many agencies working together to detect and prosecute crime in different ways,” Felner said.
Such alternatives appear to be working.
In early 2003, Judge Lonnie Hoover helped develop Teen Court, another program that gives teenagers an opportunity to evaluate juvenile members of their peer group who have allegedly been involved in misconduct. Throughout the country, Teen Court has proven to be very successful, and that record is echoed here in Williamson County.
“So far, we have seen no recidivists from Teen Court,” the judge said. “The kids who participate are excited and engaged in the court activities and take their cases very seriously.”
That seriousness is just what officials in this county are hoping for, and is the reason why Felner drank Jungle Juice all weekend.
“The traditional ways of detecting crime and punishing those crimes have not worked,” she said. “Instead of just warehousing the criminals and overcrowding our jails and prisons, we really need to stop the revolving door of our judicial system and address the underlying problems.”