Judge experiences local meth project

By Scott Perkins
editor@couriernews.com

Communities throughout the Arkansas River Valley continue to make steps towards informing, understanding and implementing plans to fight methamphetamine from several different angles.
Circuit Judge Dennis Sutterfield spoke to members of the River Valley Meth Project (RVMP) on Wednesday at Chambers Cafeteria on the campus of Arkansas Tech University.
RVMP is a think tank composed of numerous community organizations and community leaders focused on battling the epidemic of methamphetamine.
“This is a great group,” Sutterfield said as he greeted the members. “Next to terrorism, this (methamphetamine) is the biggest problem this country faces.”
Sutterfield shared his experience of presiding over the drug court in Pope County, which is a pilot program in the state of Arkansas.
“It works. States like California can testify to that,” Sutterfield said. “We’ve heard many success stories, and we can have a lot of success stories, too. If you can save just one life, it is worth it. They (users) are not all lost and they are worth trying to save.”
Sutterfield alluded to the fact that addiction is something all people face.
“We’re all addicted to something. I’ve been addicted to food all my life,” Sutterfield said as the audience laughed. “Although this addiction (to meth) will kill them, and we have to turn this thing around.”
Sutterfield said the community has just scratched the surface in finding out what it takes to run an effective drug court.
“We have a lot to learn. We have to be really dedicated,” he said, “And there is hope.”
Sutterfield smiled as he announced the first graduate of the drug court will have a commencement ceremony at 9 a.m. April 12 on the second floor of the Pope County Courthouse.
“This young man has agreed to open his commencement to the public, and that takes a lot of courage,” Sutterfield said. “He deserves to be commended.”
After the presentation, Sutterfield told The Courier he has been enlightened to how the role of a judge seems to be changing.
“In drug court, we’ve learned that we can’t just punish because it doesn’t work,” Sutterfield said. “We’re doing things that were unheard of years ago. Saying we’re proud of people who do well in the program goes along way. We’re hoping we can make a difference.”
Before drug court is made an option to certain citizens, an in-depth screening process is conducted.
“Our probation officer and drug-court coordinator, Carrie Williams, and the counselor, Glenda Hubbard, need to be publicly acknowledged for their efforts in making the program work,” Sutterfield said.
RVMP meets once a month to discuss strategies as it continues to move through Phase Two of its agenda. Members break into different work groups ranging in categories from use to production to distribution.
Groups goals include reducing use of methamphetamine, production, and distribution. RVMP also aims to increase awareness and to improve treatment.