Harford County weans inmates from drugs

By Zaria Nabinett
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer

The mood at the Harford County Detention Center was quite festive days before Thanksgiving, not because of the holiday but because the facility held graduation ceremonies for inmates who successfully completed a drug rehabilitation program that earned them early release.

The 11^th graduation ceremony for men, and the third for women meant the completion of an intensive, 10- week program held by the Substance and Behavioral Health Units (SBU) of the detention center in Bel Air. Also on Nov. 20, officials announced that the treatment program is now accredited by the Commission of Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

It’s an excellent program, said Operations Commander Kevin Walker, adding the program does not impact operations because he oversees the entire jail. However, Walker said the program helps put the right people in the right program to ensure they receive proper treatment.

The SBU program was first introduced by Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler in late 2015. Inmates, ranging in ages from 21 to 60, from all walks of life have participated in the program, officials said.

“It was because of the heroin epidemic, the death tolls, and the impact it had on the community and crime rates, is why the program came about,” Warden Michael Capasso said. “Those individuals upon arrest are screened and ranked both criminally and ranked. So there was plenty of information gathered to say that was a significant issue.”

Capasso added that participants “can vary anywhere from three or four, to a dozen.”

“The clinicians are the ones that make this final decision,” said Capasso. “In this type of environment you may have certain individuals who want to simply use such a tool as a stepping stone for them to go to the court and say ‘this is what I have done, your honor, now can I be released early.’ ”

“What clinicians really want to do is find who’s ready to actually help themselves more so than to help their case,” Capasso added. “In fact, some of the people in [the program] is costing them time to be in there more so than working to their benefit as far as of getting out of the institution early.”

Capasso said that the goal is make sure every inmate involved is involved for the right reasons and for  his or her own health benefits, not just an early release date. He also said that Harford County’s inmate population for addiction is over the 75 percentile; males dominate the approximate 400 inmate population.

Melissa May, Harford jail’s director of Substance Abuse, said that she uses a curriculum called “Hazelden,”, derived from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, to understand the participant’s cognitive behavior.

“Hazelden very rarely talks about the drink or drug, it really focuses on changing the thought pattern,” May said. “A lot of these guys have been using drugs and engaging in criminal activity for 30 plus years, so it really takes a lot of attention to focus on their thoughts and their thinking patterns.”

The program’s participant count vary over time, officials said. However, no matter the size of the group, May said she works with inmates daily as a group, and during weekly one-on-one meetings.

“I do expect a lot; every morning I want them up at 8:30 and to do their homework,” said May. “If they don’t do their homework, they get reprimanded. At some point, people do their ‘this isn’t worth it’ but that number is very minimal.”

“I focus on getting them involved and engaged in the process of change,” May continued. “Because of the therapy tools that I use, I’m usually able to reel them in on some level.”

Following successful completion of the program, inmates, for an additional four weeks, are moved to a new unit upstairs. The remaining six weeks are used as a step-down process where discussions are held about triggers, community sports, and activities that can be positive alternatives for substance use.

“I really wanted our treatment unit to stand apart from some of the other treatment programs out there,” said May, who reached out to CARF. “In order for that to happen, you need to state your accreditation.” .

The Commission of Accreditation conducts a survey, reviews all documents, talks with inmates, and makes certain all requirements are covered.

“Our facility was so advanced in the process of operations as it pertains to SBU that the CARF representatives expedited Harford County’s process because of where we were already,” Capasso said, giving credit to May’s efforts.

The unit receives support from the county’s outside community, including the Health Department, SMART Recovery and Alcoholic Anonymous’ nightly meetings. The joint effort of the Detention Center and community services help inmates with their transformation and overall healing, officials said.

“When some of these men come in, they’re incredibly broken,” said May. “They had trauma their whole lives and caught in this lifestyle for so long and they don’t think they’re ever going to make these changes.”

May continued, “If I can give one thing to them, it’s hope that they can change, and I’ve seen remarkable changes in some of these men. From juvenile incarceration all the way through 40 year olds, they don’t think they’ll ever make changes.”

But May explained, “It’s a holistic program so we do yoga and meditation so they’re realizing their identity, what their purpose is on Earth. These men when they leave, keep in contact with me and that is really a testament to how well this program is working. They get out and doing well. I just got a call from them today.”

While the male unit has been operating for some time, a new unit for females is in full swing, officials said. Capasso said that now that the facility has reached its personnel capacity, the female progress should quickly match that of the men.

“We have people coming into the facility with various states of mind,” said Capasso. “When some of them end up in that unit, some of the last things you’re gonna hear from inmate population is going to be something positive in regard to those who are running the institution.

Capasso said, “Inmates have actually drawn the agency emblem and have it mounted in this housing unit, with a ‘thank you’ on it, which is something you never hear of.”

“To hear some of the inmates in their outgoing speeches during graduation say ‘I wasn’t arrested, I was rescued,’” is heart-warming, he continued. “These are things that could even bring tears to the most cynical individual, I being one of them.”