With the fentanyl crisis devastating the nation and homelessness on the rise, the City of Chehalis is entering a partnership with Lewis County for case management assistance to help create the Chehalis Treatment Court program.
The Chehalis City Council unanimously approved a one-year interlocal agreement for the program on Monday, Feb. 26.
Chehalis Municipal Court Judge Allen Unzelman said since he was appointed as municipal court judge in July 2023, he has seen a number of repeat offenders come through his court’s doors. He believes some of them would be perfect candidates for a drug treatment recovery program like Lewis County Drug Court.
A lot of the repeat offenders are being arrested and cited for non-violent crimes such as trespassing, shoplifting and possession of controlled substances. Working with Chehalis City Attorney Kevin Nelson, Unzelman looked into why these offenders were stuck in their cycles.
“What we are collectively noticing together is that a lot of times … there’s substance abuse or drug abuse, or there’s some sort of underlying mental health condition,” Unzelman said.
Seeing the repeat offenders, along with the financial burden they place on the jail system, Unzelman wanted to take a proactive approach to the issue and try to help these people break their criminal cycles.
Currently, it costs the City of Chehalis $94.27 per day to house someone who has been arrested in jail.
According to the council’s agenda report, for those who are charged with a misdemeanor, the maximum penalty is 90 days in jail, costing the city $8,484.30 to house an inmate.
For a gross misdemeanor charge, 364 days is the maximum penalty, resulting in $34,314.28 in jail costs for the city.
“I had the thought that if I could help, and if we could correct this for eight out of 10, five out of 10 or even three out of 10, I’m not just going to sit there and not try,” Unzelman said. “We have to do what we can do to try to solve these problems for the community.”
With the Lewis County Drug Court already well established, Unzelman and Nelson proposed the interlocal agreement with Lewis County to help develop the city’s own Chehalis Treatment Court program. The interlocal agreement approved on Monday included the authorization of up to $50,000 to be paid for the services.
“I can’t sit here and tell you I’m going to solve homelessness, solve the fentanyl crisis, because I don’t think there’s one answer to any of those things,” Unzelman said. “But where we can, I think we have to try, and if I’m standing before you next year at this time and we’ve gone one for 80, OK, but at least we know we gave it a shot.”
He stressed this program is not an “easy way out” and, like Lewis County Drug Court, it will have many checks and requirements those in it must abide by to complete the program.
“It’s not going to be a program for everyone. It’s going to be limited, and that’s where the county’s support will be really helpful because they already have screening metrics available,” Nelson added.
Lewis County Drug Court was created in 2004 and is a voluntary program for addicts charged with a felony, according to Drug Court Program Manager Stephanie Miller.
The program targets offenders with a poor prognosis for success on their own, and aids them with structure and support using a three-phase recovery program. Drug Court lasts a minimum of 16 months with most participants graduating after 19 to 22 months.
To graduate, a Drug Court participant must have a full-time job and stable housing, complete recommended treatment, be clean for at least six months and in the program for at least 16 months, have a sober mentor and pay any court-ordered fines and restitution stemming from their case, according to Miller. Once someone graduates, their charges are dismissed.
“The county’s drug court, from what I’ve seen and heard and read about, I think it’s extremely effective,” Chehalis Mayor Tony Ketchum said.
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Editor’s note: Allen Unzelman also represents CT Publishing, parent company of The Chronicle, as an attorney in his private practice.
