PINEVILLE — The Bell County District Drug Court has made recent changes that could improve the effectiveness of the program, which seeks to give non-violent offenders a chance to recover from addiction in lieu of serving time.

The newly-formed Drug Court Team is comprised of individuals from the court system, drug rehabilitation, law enforcement, and church ministry who will now decide who gets into the program and what kind of treatment the individual gets, among other things.

Drug Court has been criticized previously by officials and law enforcement in the county for letting drug users and traffickers off easy for their crimes.

But District Court Judge Robert Yoakum says that by having a team of individuals representing different entities, they can open up the process more.

“The District Drug Court team hopes that by allowing people from different walks of life within our community to be involved with Drug Court, all the people of Bell County will have a voice within the program and be a part of its success,” said Judge Yoakum.

The Drug Court team consists of Judge Yoakum, Drug Court program supervisor Erin Freeman, Case Specialist Angie Dunn, Comprehensive Care counselor Walter Smith, UNITE Drug Court liaison Tom Temple, Dr. Phil Hill of Covenant United Methodist Church, Officer Joe Holder of the Middlesboro Police Department and Officer Doug Jordan of the Bell County Sheriff’s Department.

The recovery for individuals admitted into the program is overseen by Drug Court staff as well as the judicial system. The Bell County District Drug Court has been in operation since 2004.

Drug Court team meetings are held each week in Bell District Court. During Drug Court meetings, detailed case notes and weekly calendars are prepared on each participant, according to the team. Team members discuss the participant’s progress in treatment, the participant’s employment and education status, the results of drug testing, any phase promotions or demotions, any applicable incentives or sanctions, and any other topics relevant to the participant’s involvement in Drug Court.

The team also uses this time to discuss whether to admit potential participants into Drug Court.

According to the Kentucky Judicial system website, “Kentucky Drug Court seeks to intervene and break the cycle of substance abuse, addiction and crime by coordinating the efforts of the judiciary, prosecution, defense bar, probation, law enforcement and mental health, social services and treatment providers.”

Stephen Woodward is a Staff Writer for the Daily News. He may be contacted at swoodward@middlesborodailynews.com.