DUNBAR, W.Va. — U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said several people arrested during a recent drug bust were given a clear choice.
“Either go to jail or get help….now,” Goodwin said Tuesday.
The U.S. attorney said it’s all part of a unique intervention program that’s been very successful in a few other locations in the United States. He said low-level offenders, users of heroin, are given a choice to get treatment immediately upon their arrests. Goodwin and Kanawha Valley law enforcement officers unveiled the program Tuesday during a news conference at Prestera in Dunbar.
Goodwin said it’s not being soft on crime but rather being smart on crime.
“We’re targeting the individuals who need targeted for prosecution to the fullest extent of the law and at the same time recognizing that there are certain low-level offenders who are creating a problem for the community because they need to feed their addiction,” Goodwin said.
Three people arrested during the recent raid took advantage of the offer and are now getting treatment at Prestera. Goodwin said the best candidates for the program are local residents who have a good support system.
“We’re not offering it to folks who come in from Detroit, Columbus, Atlanta—those individuals are here for one thing and one thing alone and that’s to make as much money as they can off their wares,” Goodwin said.
Law enforcement officers throughout West Virginia have been dealing with more and more heroin cases in recent months. Goodwin said 80 percent of heroin addicts get their start with abuse of prescription drugs.
“We are engaged in a very real fight on our hands in terms of heroin,” he said.
Similar intervention programs have had success in Prince William County, Va., Boston, Seattle and Santa Fe.