By Tom Ackerman  |  [email protected]

Instead of being locked in a cell, some area drug offenders are being offered counseling, support, and eventually, cake.

When there’s a graduation in the Johnson County drug court diversion group, everyone goes out for cake, including Judge Fae Hoover-Grinde.

The 8-year-old drug-diversion program offers guidance to those facing addictions and mental-health problems by offering drug users treatment and support rather than incarceration.

Despite success in helping community members with need, the group has recently lost a coordinator and is in constant in need of resources.

“Seeing that there are these revolving doors is devastating,” said Rob Metzger, a treatment services manager. “Drug users are not getting the help they need and are getting sent to prison when there are better options out there.”

The previous program coordinator was transferred to another department, group officials said, and offered communication between courts in Johnson and Linn Counties.

Metzger said funding has been a concern because aside from grant money, the group shares a budget with parole in the state, rather than the prison budget itself.

Despite funds saved in jail costs, the program is not seeing necessary funding in return.

The costs for treatment total an average of $1.88 a day compared to an average of $54.02 for inmates in prison, according to the group’s website. It is also estimated that drug diversion has saved the state $234,838.56 since the page was posted.

The clients are also required to participate in community-based projects and work as a team to become more acclimated with society.

According to vera.org, an organization working to make justice systems fair, Iowa spent $265.4 million on prisons in 2010, costing taxpayers $32,925 per inmate per year, making a dent in the state’s budget, which has grown tight in recent years.

The average in-state University of Iowa student pays $21,840 to attend the school.

Johnson County’s drug-diversion program keeps clients out of jail who shouldn’t be there in the first place, Metzger said.

“It’s really about looking at if there are still resources we can find in the community and whether there are viable options,” he said.

The program welcomes users of harder drugs and also those who may abuse alcohol, but there is a separate group designated for marijuana charges. The group is very selective on choosing candidates, as limited resources are available.

Johnson County was the last county in the state to adopt such an initiative. The first was Des Moines, which started its program around 20 years ago.

At a hearing on Tuesday, one client was brought into the program and another client was revoked for violations. Metzger said the program is often challenging for clients because it takes people away from loved ones in order to achieve sobriety.

“People go to jail or prison and come back with the same friends, doing the same things that got them in jail in the first place,” Metzger said. “There’s tons of consequences [for using], but people continue to do it. It’s not something you can choose your way out of.”

Metzger said the funding issues can also become political. This may occur when people think incarceration is the only option for a crime.

The drug-diversion group lasts a minimum of 18 months for clients, said Hoover-Grinde, who advises the clients along with prosecutors, probation officers, an alternative jail service coordinator, and others.

When legislators are invited to the graduations, Hoover-Grinde said, they are pleasantly surprised. The last graduation was held in December.

“It’s a big deal when there is a graduation,” she said. “When they see [the program], they have the same reactions as us.”

Cora Dixon, a probation officer in the group, said she has had to shift focus away from clients because the coordinator between Linn and Johnson Counties was let go, noting that it was difficult for the coordinator to leave the position.

She noted that there is a definite mental-health aspect to the program and addiction as a whole.

“I think we live in a culture or environment right now where mental health services and drug treatment services are being blended,” she said. “I think people will recognize these efforts are in the forefront of helping with rehabilitation.”

Hoover-Grinde has a warm and personal relationship with clients, and Dixon said the judge protects the community by participating in the program.

After the hearing, Hoover-Grinde spoke closely with the group, listened to each client talk about her or his week, and offered the courtroom Girl Scout cookies.

“There is a national push for criminal-justice reform — this kind of thinking out of the box,” she said. “I hope to see more of this.”