Sheriff in Maryland pushes for day-reporting center
For the fifth year in a row, Sheriff Douglas Mullendore is asking the Washington County, Maryland, commissioners for funding to start a home detention program of day-reporting center for drug offenders. According to the sheriff, about 97 percent of the total crimes in the county are committed by offenders suffering from drug addiction. His proposal stems from recommendations made by the Maryland Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force.
Incarcerating drug offenders has proven to be ineffective; they usually end up back in jail shortly after release. Mullendore hopes that a home-based treatment program would produce better results. By treating as many as 150 offenders at one time, it would also delay the need for an expensive addition to the county detention center in Hagerstown.
The proposal includes locating the center next to the upcoming location of the county health department, which already offers some anti-addiction services. The sheriff estimates start up costs at about $820,000, and the commissioners’ main concern is how to fund this as well as a sustainable source of revenue to maintain the program thereafter. Mullendore’s suggestion is to install speed cameras in school zones throughout the county. Money from speeding fines would help with the center’s operating costs.
Although the sheriff hopes the program will keep more offenders out of jail and cut down on repeat offenses, he does not want to soften punishment for those who sell drugs. For the drug dealers, he would only like to see harsher punishments. He says many of them have had numerous opportunities to change their lives, but they are still going out to “deal drugs and kill our kids in our community.” In his opinion, the consequences of these actions should be more serious, rather than less so. Offenders found guilty of dealing would not be admitted into Mullendore’s proposed day-reporting center.