Dear Heroin

Joseph Bleiler, known to his friends as Joey B, started using heroin at age 13. The result of that lifestyle is revealed by headlines like "Son wielded knife, wrestled with mother, according to Roseto police chief" "Roseto mom purchased heroin in Easton with 17-year-old son in car, police say" and "Joseph Bleiler shops on another man's dime."

Joey B is a participant in Northampton County's Drug Court, and was promoted to Phase 2 yesterday after writing and reading this essay in open court to his ex-wife, heroin.   

Dear Heroin,

Well old friend it's been a long time since we last talked, I remember the last time we talked it was a rough day the last time I saw you. You know you really destroyed a lot of my life. You took my family from me, and you took my own life. It's because of you that my arms are always cold. You're the reason my family turned their backs on me, because you did this to me you ended up making me the evil person I did not want to be. That would steal anything that wasn't tied down. You broke me spiritually, emotionally and physically. You robbed me of my dignity and self-respect. You took everything from me. You stole my family and you made all my friends hate me and worst of all you took it all. I have nothing because of you, you made me weak and broken. I definitely won't let it happen again. I loved you, and you never gave me anything but a bad life because you drained me of everything I ever had. I committed crimes because of your influence and tried to take my own life. You left bruises on my arms. You made my life a living hell. I hated each day that I had to wake up and see you robbing everyone I know just for me to feel normal. I'll never give you that control again, because today I found a better way. I found I don't need you make me feel sick. In fact, just the thought of you makes my stomach turn. I lost it all for you, and I promise you'll never get another thing from me as long as I live. I won't let you take my life the way you did before because I'm stronger than you and I know you don't like it. The pestering of me every day was the worst part. The last thing I ever gave you was my freedom. You will never have anything of mine again. I was lost in a dark room with you and I won't go back to that room. I have nailed that door shut. left you. In the past all you wanted was to see me dead, and give me a false sense of happiness. ...

I have broken those chains you shackled me in. I have taken my life back, and I won't let you back in any matter how much you beg. I will never give this life up. It is beyond my wildest dreams. I don’t want to lie in bed with you anymore. That bed was cold, dark and filled with nothing but pain. I never knew who I was until now, and I'll never give it up. I want this forever.

You'll always be a distant memory of what life was like. I will never give you another ounce of my being. You took so much from my life, all the time I missed with my family, all the people who came and went in my life because of you. You took so many of my friends’ lives, but I won't let you take mine.

I remember the first time I met you, you made me feel complete inside. You could do no wrong and everything was just perfect. Then one day I woke up and thought I had the flu, turns out it was my body just missing you. Once I got you back in my veins, where you belonged, all my permanent problems were temporarily solved. Slowly but surely, you began to destroy my life. My family and friends just didn't understand that I had taken a vow and made you my wife. I loved you more than I loved my own mother for some reason even I couldn't understand. There in my room I sat, with all my possessions gone, my life gone, with just a mattress and a room. I gave you one last shot and fell on my face, hoping that I wouldn't awake. Then someone walked in my room and saved my life, and for that I am eternally grateful. Now I have a clear understanding that what I did was not right.

I thought life was perfect, I thought it was pure, but them the law caught up and I found a cure. On sheer willpower I couldn't go alone. I remember the nights crying on a jailhouse phone, pleading for forgiveness, asking for help. When I was released it was put on a shelf, never to be thought of again till the day you robbed me of my only best friend.

Alone in my cell is where I sat, when I got the news my mother had passed. I missed the last moments she had alive because I wanted to be with you one very last time. That was the last time you tried to take my life. After that day, you were no longer my wife. You took way too much and it wasn't enough, so no longer will I be a shell just left to wander and rust. Today I found a new way to live happy and free, so I'm closing the door and tossing the key. This is the last time I speak to you.

Sincerely,

Joey Bleiler

Drug Court Lauded by Drug and Alcohol Administrator

Judge Craig Dally at Drug Court Training

Tiffany Rossanese, Administrator of Northampton County's Drug and Alcohol Program, updated Northampton County Council on April 21 concerning the Drug Court, which meets every Thursday afternoon. This is a post-conviction court that usually includes probation violators.

Rossanese reports that there are 16 participants right now in all phases of a four-phase system, with five pending applications. The drug of choice varies, from alcohol to heroin. The majority are heroin addicts.

"Honestly, I think it's a great thing," she said. "I'm very happy it's there." She is part of what she calls "the treatment team." Many of the Defendants who enroll receive medical assistance. "The successes we're seeing speaks volumes about how great this program is," she noted. She praised Judge Dally and his commitment to the program. Though it is too early to produce hard evidence that this works, she believes that the data will show that drug court "is a huge benefit to the County."

Judge Dally Announces Formation of NorCo Drug Court

Judge Craig Dally

It's rare to hear a judge admit that, once the black robes are stripped away, he is as fallible as the rest of us. Yet that's precisely what Judge Craig Dally did yesterday. He provided Northampton County Council with an overview of problem-solving courts throughout Pennsylvania, including Northampton County. "We can do a better job than what we're doing today," he admitted.

Dally announced the establishment of a Drug Court in Northampton County, starting April 2. It's just in time, too because County Council voted to defund its treatment program at the jail this year. This will be a problem-solving court, very much like the Mental Health Court announced by District Attorney John Morganelli late last year. But there's a key difference. A Mental Health Court is a diversionary court in which charges can be dismissed without a conviction. The Drug Court, however, will apply to people who have already been convicted.

The Drug Court

Pennsylvania currently has 101 problem solving courts , with 17 in the planning stages. They cover domestic violence, veterans' issues, mental health, drugs prostitution and drunk driving. Their focus is something Judge Dally calls "restorative justice." Instead of focusing on the crime, the emphasis is placed on individual outcomes. The ultimate goal is to protect public health and safety, reduce the prison population and rate of re-entry, resulting in a more efficient use of tax dollars. It is limited to non-violent offenders who suffer from addiction.

Initially, participants in this program will be in court every week. During these periodic and nonadversarial reinforcement hearings, a judge might hand out a gift certificate to a restaurant instead of a jail sentence.

How does this help the county? According to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, the rate of re-entry, or recidivism, is only 27% for someone who has been graduated from a Drug Court. That compares to an average of between 60-80%. Based on an average sentence of six months, the County will save $16,200 per participant.

Judge Dally anticipates 25 participants at the onset, but the Court should become much larger. Court Administrator Jill Cicero stated that most of the parole and probation violators in jail are there because of drugs. Judge Dally added that many people with offenses like forgery or theft are committing those crimes because "their underlying issue is still drug addiction." Those offenders will be eligible for participation.

Hayden Phillips asked why this Court is unavailable for pre-conviction offenders. "You'll have to ask the District Attorney," responded Judge Dally, who indicated that the courts are open to participation by pre-conviction drug offenders. "We'll see how this goes," Judge Dally stated. "Perhaps the District Attorney will have a change of heart.

"This could mushroom very, very quickly," worried Glenn Geissinger. "We could be the victims of our own success," agreed Judge Dally. But he added that the Courts, as the gatekeepers of the program, can control the size.

Mental Health Court

Unlike the Drug Court, the Mental Health Court is similar to ARD, the program for first-time offenders who have charges dismissed after successful completion of a period of probation. The Mental Health Court requires that there be a direct correlation between a diagnosed mental illness and the criminal activity. According to Judge Dally, there is just one person in this program at this time.

Judge dally explained that both of these problem solving courts will exist only for those who seek it. "You can't be successfully treated unless you want to be treated," concluded Judge Dally.