Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
The Alcohol Abuse Deterrence Program is an alternative sentencing program used by the Kosciusko County Prosecutor's office when plea bargaining with third-time drunk driving offenders.
The rehabilitative program provides third-time felony drunk drivers with a plea bargain that saves them from three years in prison. Offenders who opt for the deal must agree to take Antabuse three times a week and get counseling.
Currently AADP has about 20 clients using the services of the Kosciusko County probation department and a Fort Wayne-based private nonprofit corporation that oversees medication and counseling of offenders.
The program, in use almost a year this Monday, is based on using Antabuse to prevent third-time drunk driving offenders from driving drunk. Antabuse is a drug that causes a drinker to become violently ill after ingesting alcohol.
The stipulations of the AADP program include the suspension of a three-year jail sentence. The offender serves 90 days in Kosciusko County Jail or work release.
Following jail time, the offender must serve two and years in the probationary part of the program, paying for all the expenses. The fees include $20 per week for the cost of medication, its administration and probation department fees. Also included in the fees is the cost of counseling, which can be the most expensive.
Terry Yeiter, program administrator, explained that the costs of counseling could range from $300 dollars per year up to $4,000-$5,000. "The total cost depends on how willing the offender is to take a look at their problem," said Yeiter.
Initially, most clients go through intensive outpatient counseling the first one or two months. Clients also meet with Yeiter once a month.
"We encourage them to join Alcoholics Anonymous as a way to continue with recovery past the three-year program," said Yeiter. The offender has to develop their own sobriety support system, but the program does not demand AA attendance.
