Jail Makes First Strike Against Drugs
By Leigh Ann Wells, Staff Writer, Appalachian News-Express
October 4, 2006

Ask any law enforcement official in Pike County and they will tell you that the drug problem in Eastern Kentucky is the basis for the majority of crimes committed here.

Tuesday, four inmates of the Pike County Detention Center came one step closer to lowering the statistics by becoming the first graduates of the in-house drug program.

"When I entered this program, I was powerless over my addiction," one graduate told the family members, state and local officials and others who gathered in the Pike County Courthouse Fiscal Courtroom to witness the graduation ceremony. "Through your concern for people like myself, you have brought a much-needed program to our area.

"So much energy, sweat and concern went into this program," said another graduate, who added he hopes to inspire others with his newfound sobriety.

The six-month treatment program is made possible through a $60,000 grant and is a partnership between the detention center and West Care of Kentucky. Through the program, two West Care counselors work with inmates who want to beat their dependency on drugs and alcohol.

Jailer Rodney Scott was praised by local elected officials and West Care leaders for working to bring such a program to the jail. State Supreme Court Justice Will T. Scott told the graduates, "We do care and will do more to help. Life is not about falling down, it's about getting up."

Justice Scott shared with the graduates the fact that his own son completed a similar program in Fayette County and encouraged the graduates to keep getting up and fighting their problems and addictions.

Jailer Scott thanked the circuit and district court judges as well as Commonwealth's Attorney Rick Bartley for their cooperation with the program.

"No one person can do this by themselves," he said. "It takes people working together."

Bartley issued a challenge to the graduates. He said that the drug problem in Eastern Kentucky is not getting better, but the "good news" is that things are happening that will help it get better.

"I'm challenging you to prove that this program does work," Bartley said.

Rodney Scott praised the inmates and their cooperation with the detention center staff during the program.

"No, they're not cured," he explained. "It is something they have to live with every day. It has been a pleasure to watch them grow - to go from being us against them to we're all in this together."