The Starke County Justice Center recently graduated their 5th Chemical Dependency and Addictions Program for in-custody males with 8 graduating the course!
The Chemical Dependency and Addictions Program provides counseling services and substance abuse education to incarcerated male and female inmates. Porter-Starke Services and the Starke County Sheriff’s Office collaborated in the development of a Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Program focusing on the addiction thought process and criminal behavior.
The 14-week, treatment program is facilitated Porter-Starke chemical dependency and addictions therapist dedicated to assisting incarcerated individuals overcome their addiction while restructuring the thought and behavioral process.
The Starke County Jail CD&A program focuses on self-awareness and self-improvement through individual commitment to change criminal thinking and addictive behavior. The individual develops skills to manage stress, anger, and cravings, appropriate ways to deal with triggers, as well as critical reasoning and decision-making skills. Upon successful completion of the program, offenders attend and participate in a graduation ceremony in which they are encouraged to share an individual “Goodbye Letter” to his or her drug of choice.
This letter reflects the negative impact drugs have had on their lives and their motivation for change. Graduation ceremony guests were encouraged to share a few words supporting the offender’s recovery and their successful transition into society.
This is a HUGE team effort and was only possible with the help of our Jail Staff led by Jail Warden Phill Cherry and Jail Commander Nathan Caudill, Starke County Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall, Starke County Prosecutor’s Office, Starke County Probation Office, Starke County Community Corrections.
The Starke County Chemical Dependency and Addictions Program was led by: Leo Smith Chemical Dependency & Addictions Therapist 27 years in the field of substance abuse working in corrections, outpatient, residential and detoxification setting.
Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin said, “We are Very proud of these individuals that recognized their addiction problems and are taking the proper steps to better themselves.”
