Articles & News

June 2, 2008

After more than a decade of drug addiction, Tanisha Phillips had lost everything: self-esteem, family relationships and children.

Two days before Christmas in 2006, Phillips hit rock bottom. One of her children was taken into state custody and her then-boyfriend was arrested on drug-related charges.

She was arrested for possession a few months later.
For many years, despite loving her children, her addiction to crack cocaine and cocaine took precedence, she said.

"I cared, but I didn't care like I was supposed to," she said. "It's chasing that end of a rainbow and you never see the pot of gold."

Constant knocks on the door, an endless stream of phone calls - Phillips' days revolved around acquiring, selling and using drugs.

After her arrest in March 2007, she knew things had to change. She began to hit her knees and cry out to God.
"I prayed and prayed for help," she said.

Okaloosa County's Drug Court offered her an opportunity that she says changed her life. Without it, Phillips doesn't know where she'd be today.

"They gave me my life back," she said.

Drug Court aims to rehabilitate addicts arrested on non-violent drug charges and give them the tools to reintegrate into society.

But many of the program's supporters in Florida are concerned that it may become a casualty of recent state budget cuts.

Earlier this month, Duval County's 14-year-old program was cut to preserve 12 court positions.

At this point, it appears that Okaloosa County's Drug Court, founded in 1992, will see some operational changes, although it's un-clear what effect they will have.

Drug Court is "seeing fairly significant decreases in funding, but we're not in danger of any cuts at this point," said Dr. Paul Roll-ings, substance abuse and mental health program supervisor for the 1st Judicial Circuit, which covers Escambia, Walton, Oka-loosa and Santa Rosa counties.

"(Drug court) would be a top priority for us to fund. If we have any funding at all, that's where it's going to have to go," Rollings said.

Supporters say the program serves the community in several ways. It keeps people out of overcrowded jails, offers much-needed rehabilitation for addicts and saves taxpayers money.

The average cost of Okaloosa County's Drug Court treatment is about $4,800 a year per client. It costs Okaloosa County $47 a day, or $17,155 a year to house an inmate at the county jail.

Participants are accepted in the program on prosecutors' referrals, but only after numerous evaluations. They either must be a first-time offender or an offender with no significant criminal history.

If a person completes the program, the state attorney's office won't prosecute the case.

Phillips, now 31, graduated from the program in April. In and out of jail since 2003, she said that was never a viable option. As an addict, she needed real treatment.
"People who really want it, you can get it," said Phillips, who added that it can't just be a ticket out of jail.
Okaloosa County Judge Jim Ward, who presides over Drug Court, said it's "indispensable."

"For the most part, they've never been given the road map that most of us have been given," he said of the program's clients.

Without Drug Court, "you'd have a large number that would be still stuck in the merry-go-round of drugs and crime," he added.

Phillips said she would still be one of those people mired in the perpetual cycle. Now she "hits her knees" almost every day, but it's in gratitude.

Clean for more than a year, Phillips has regained her freedom, self-respect and more importantly, her children.
Phillips works two jobs and takes care of two of her children. Eventually, she wants to get a GED and nursing degree.

"I'm doing what I need to as an adult, as a mother, as a daughter," she said. "I have that choice to live life."