Graduates of Drug Court see new life outside prison

Mathis Winkler

Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2001 | 9 a.m.

By the time Rebecca Gutierrez was arrested for manufacturing methamphetamine in February 2000, taking the drug had become as normal as drinking a cup of coffee in the morning.

But once the 37-year-old woman began serving her prison sentence of two to five years, the sight of other drug addicts serving their third or fourth terms made her think about her future.

"I realized I either had to change my life or this is what I had to look forward to," said Gutierrez, who spent about four months behind bars before her release in December 2000. On Tuesday, she was among the first three inmates to graduate from the Prison Inmate Re-Entry Drug Court program, which allows prisoners convicted of drug offenses to get an early release.

Established by the state Legislature in 1999, the program is the first of its kind in the nation. Inmates are released from prison and spend a year in intensive rehabilitation and counseling under a judge's supervision.

Gutierrez, who now works as a photographer and sales clerk at a local casino, said she never had any doubts about succeeding.

"I knew I was going to make it from before I even got out (of prison,)" she said. "Once you go straight, life is so easy."

Gabriel Trillo, 30, who served five years in prison for a drug conviction, also graduated from the program on Tuesday. He now works as a cook at a restaurant and is planning to become a registered nurse.

A third graduate, who spent more than four years in prison and now works as a shift store manager at a casino, declined to be interviewed.

To help pay for the program, the Department of Justice in June 2000 awarded a $416,250 grant to the District Court in Clark County. Department officials will consider offering similar grants to other states once they have reviewed the success of the program in Nevada.

The state gave additional funds, bumping the total to $555,000 -- enough money to cover the treatment of 100 inmates in Clark County, 50 inmates in Washoe County and supervision costs for parole and probation.

But because only inmates with one prior felony conviction were initially allowed to participate in the program, court officials found it difficult to find candidates who qualified. A 2001 legislative amendment to the program dealt with the problem by opening it up to people who had up to four prior nonviolent felony convictions.

Inmates imprisoned as a result of probation revocation due to a new crime are also allowed to participate. The two changes, which took effect Oct. 1, significantly increased the number of people eligible for the program.

Gov. Kenny Guinn, who attended Tuesday's graduation ceremony and played a crucial role in establishing the program, said he was attracted to the idea because it saved money and did a better job of bringing people back into society.

"It didn't take me long to figure out that we're giving a $20,000 bill rather than a $1,500 bill to the taxpayers," Guinn said, comparing the costs of housing a prisoner versus paying for the program.

Though program participants receive help with counseling and job searches, "in prison, you don't get that support system," Guinn said, adding that the money saved because of the program could be used to establish rehabilitation programs in prisons.

Prior to Oct. 1, 20 inmates were released from prison into the program. Two participants have been sent back to prison, one because of drug use and another one because of theft. A third person was caught forging a check and has been incarcerated pending review by the Parole Board.

Since Oct. 1, eight more inmates have started the program and another 33 are currently under review by the program's advisory board, which includes Clark County Drug Court Judge Jack Lehman and representatives from court administration, the treatment provider, parole and probation, Metro Police, Clark County detention services, the district attorney's office and the public defender's office.

In addition to the limit on felony convictions, inmates also have to have served at least six months in prison, have a satisfactory behavior record while incarcerated and must reside in Nevada. They have to be within two years of probably release from prison.