The Lewis County Drug Court program had reason to celebrate this week with one participant graduating, a former participant celebrating five years of sobriety and the return of the program's compliance officer role.
After the graduation ceremony of the program's 291st graduate, Jacob Hubble, on Monday, July 14, Lewis County Drug Court also took a moment to recognize a former program graduate and active Drug Court foundation member, Derek Shaughnessy, for five years of court-verified clean time.
The following day at the July 15 Lewis County Board of Commissioners meeting, Lewis County Drug Court Manager Stephanie Miller announced an agreement between the county and the City of Centralia. That agreement states that the Centralia Police Department will staff a compliance officer for the Drug Court. According to Miller, the position has been vacant for nearly two years due to a staffing shortage in the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
Five years sober
During the short recognition ceremony on Monday afternoon in the Lewis County Law and Justice Center, Lewis County Superior Court Judge J. Andrew Toynbee presented Shaughnessy with a ceremonial coin commemorating the milestone of five years of court-verified clean time.
While the five years sober achievement was the official reason for the event, it also served as a chance for Toynbee and others to thank Shaughnessy for his service to the program and his involvement with the foundation and alumni organization.
Toynbee shared his joy in seeing a graduate returning to receive recognition for five years sober and also recognized Shaughnessy’s impact in the recovery community.
“You’re such an inspiration to so many people, such a help to so many people,” Toynbee said. “It’s hard to imagine you were once part of this program … You’re one of those people that’s here when we need you. I also appreciate the fact that you have come here to get your five-year coin.”
After receiving his coin, Shaughnessy reflected on his time in the program and the support that it provided him, ultimately leading to the five years sober milestone.
“For me, five days was a miracle,” Shaughnessy said. “To string together five days of clean time when I was not incarcerated … This program can give you the tools to change your life.”
Shaughnessy is currently a board member of the Lewis County Drug Court Foundation after formerly serving as the foundation's vice president. He also works for Gather Church, a major supporter of the Drug Court program.
Both because of his job and his involvement in the foundation and the alumni group, Shaughnessy said he finds himself at just about every event, whether it's a graduation or something else. He also often serves as a mentor or sponsor to people currently involved in the program.
Drug Court and Centralia police
In her office at the Lewis County Law and Justice Center, after the July 15 Lewis County Board of Commissioners meeting, Miller struggled to contain her excitement about the agreement approved in the meeting less than an hour earlier.
The interlocal agreement between Lewis County and the City of Centralia means the Drug Court program will be able to benefit from a resource it has gone without for nearly two years: a compliance officer. As part of the new agreement, the Centralia Police Department will begin assigning officers to fill the role as soon as the city and the Lewis County Superior Court put pen to paper.
“Centralia Police Department was very excited to work with us on this, and so now we’ll get things rolling with them now that it's been approved by the commissioners," Miller said.
Miller describes the compliance officer as an important part of the team. A compliance officer helps the Drug Court program keep participants accountable and does things such as home checks early on in the Drug Court program followed by weekly or monthly check-ins as needed. According to Miller, they can help inform the program team on how participants are doing outside of the courtroom. She said they are also important in the process of rebuilding participants' relationships with law enforcement.
“That's also part of having our compliance officer out there,” Miller said. “They're building a relationship with law enforcement, instead of running from that.”
