SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — Shepherd University’s Pre-Law Society and Department of Political Science hosted a panel on the regional drug problem on Wednesday, consisting of Supreme Court Justice Brent Benjamin, U.S. District Judge for D.C. Emmet Sullivan, and Associate Judge for Washington County, Viki Pauler.
An audience of students, teachers, law enforcement, county council members and more attended the panel to get insight on how drug courts, in tandem with rehabilitation, can help reverse the epidemic our area faces.
The three covered many topics but focused on the importance of utilizing drug courts.
Justice Brent Benjamin said that drug courts are effective because they not only punish the individual accordingly, but actually take the time to also rehabilitate the individual.
He says we all need to work together.
“The drug problem in West Virginia is a community problem. The beginning of a solution has to be from the community,” he said after the event.
Emmet Sullivan emphasized that just because someone has to call 911 doesn’t mean they should be fearful of being incarcerated, and that arresting these first time offenders can be damaging to their family more than anything, “especially minor children.”
He went on to say, “Once you remove the breadwinner from the family, that creates more problems for society.”
Sullivan says that as a judge he uses his own life experiences growing up in D.C. when sentencing an individual, which is why he also is heavily against mandatory minimum sentencing.
Mandatory Minimum Sentencing can potentially put an individual behind bars for 6 years for a non-violent first offense, which he says is a waste of time and money because without rehabilitation they’re likely to be back within 4 months.
Viki Pauler compared the problem in the eastern panhandle to Washington County, and warns of the overcrowding of jails as a result of incarcerating so many non-violent offenders.
She said that all three of their county’s jails are frequently at capacity, and they often have to shift inmates around just to have enough beds for everyone to sleep on at night.
The panel agreed that these courts are great for helping first time offenders, but dealers should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.