Carbon County Concerned Citizens will be holding a rally in support of their Drug Court Petition, followed by a symbolic march to the courthouse to deliver the document.

Drug courts link judiciary, prosecution, defense, probation, law enforcement, mental health, social service and treatment communities to help nonviolent drug-related offenders work through treatment and re-enter society.The event, which will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at the train station at Josiah White Park in Jim Thorpe, will feature speakers focusing on the benefits of a drug court, and in some cases, how it could have helped them personally.Karalyn Dietrich had been prescribed Percocet at age 21, which opened the gateway for addiction."By the age of 22, I was a full-blown heroin addict," Dietrich said. Now three and a half years clean, and a member of STEP-Up, she can see value of a drug court from the perspective of a former addict.Dietrich mentions things like patient monitoring and positive reinforcement that could play an important part in recovery."They get praised for good things," she said. "Things like getting back in society and getting a job."Other speakers, such as Cindy Kester, have seen the loss of family members and close friends, who may have fared better in drug courts as opposed to the regular prison system."We lost our son, Lee B. Kester, a year ago on Sept. 10, 2015, due to a drug overdose that had been tainted with fentanyl," Kester said.Kester said that her son could have received specialized treatment from a drug court that is normally absent from the prison system."Each addict's needs are different and they need to be closely monitored for their plans to be successful. This is a mental and physical disease so locking a person in a room with no resources is not a healthful strategy," Kester said.The Drug Court Petition will be marched over to the Carbon County Courthouse and delivered to Judge Nanovic's office. The group is stressing that the petition itself is meant to promote awareness, and not to embarrass Nanovic, other court administrators, or the three county commissioners responsible for approving the drug court.While most members of the court and local government are in support of the court, there are some barriers preventing the establishment."It is a financial issue. Who is going to pay for the costs of operating the drug court?" STEP-Up's Todd Zimmerman said.Zimmerman said that while there are grants and aid from state and federal government for the program, the logical expansion of the office over the next few years will entail more funding.Dr. Leta Thompson had very little knowledge on the subject of drug courts when she first volunteered at Carbon County Correctional Facility. The former elementary school principal, along with several friends, started noticing repeat drug offenders, alongside a lack of programs aimed at them. Thompson started the first drug court petition in 2013, but found a lack of funding blocked the way. Since then, she has focused on awareness to attract attention - and hopefully funding - to such a project."We've been spreading the word, trying to get people interested," Thompson said. "This way they have professionals helping them, treating them and guiding them through the process."All those involved with the rally agree that there is a definite need, and based on the response to the petition thus far, desire for the community to establish the court."They have over 1,000 signatures and want to present these to Judge Nanovic and the commissioners as proof that the people of Carbon County want them to seek funding and designate tax dollars to create a drug court," Zimmerman said. "Statistics prove that over the long term Carbon County will save money."