By Calentha Quesenberry
When Marion Tanner asked a probation officer what would help Fayette County’s drug court the most, she was told: Incentives.
Defendants who participate in drug court look forward to reconnecting and bonding with their children more than anything else, Probation Officer Jennifer Smith said.
Naturally, as passionate as Tanner is about early literacy, her wheels started spinning. What better way to incentivize participants to meet their goals and help them to spend quality time with their children than with books? Books provide a loving way to bond with children and build skills that set children up for lifelong success.
Tanner, co-chair of Read Aloud’s Fayette County Chapter, worked with Read Aloud’s state office to get 200 books to Fayette County for the adult drug court program last fall.
A list of participants’ children (age and gender only) were shared with volunteers. Books were chosen, bagged and passed on to Smith for distribution at participants’ October hearing.
“I love the books. My kids are excited to get them every month,” said Paula, a drug court participant.
November, December and February 2020 book distributions followed. Fayette County Read Aloud is currently serving 12 families with a total of 26 children and a distribution of 85 books and counting.
“Fayette County Adult Drug Program is more than just supporting participants in recovery,” said Fayette County Circuit Judge Thomas Ewing. “We help restore lives. I see the participants get excited when they receive the books. This tells me we are repairing vital relationships at home. We are helping to facilitate bonding with children. There is nothing better than helping reunite families, one step at a time.”
Fayette County’s drug court was established in 2016, the 26th in West Virginia. Fayette is the 45th county served by a drug court. Only nonviolent offenders are considered for the program. Defendants spend at least a year receiving intense monitoring and counseling. Addicts are held accountable to the community, their families and victims who have been harmed.
“Everyone around the addict is affected in some way,” Tanner said. “Children may be removed from the homes, only to be placed with grandparents or trusted relatives. Others may enter the welfare system and/or the foster care system.”
Both children and parents look forward to receiving their books every month, Smith said.
“Sometimes we do not have to do big, great things to enable this,” she said. “We are seeing that small suggestions and simple parenting prompts go a long way.”
“I see my son every other weekend,” said Eric, another drug court participant. “I have to read one of the books every night at bedtime.”
Calentha Quesenberry is a Read Aloud of Fayette County volunteer.