HOULTON, Maine — Individuals who have been convicted of substance abuse-related crimes and who are awaiting sentencing will now be eligible for a program to break the cycle of dependency, Aroostook County commissioners voted on Wednesday.
During their Dec. 21 meeting in Houlton, commissioners approved a $108,000 substance abuse assistance project grant award that will have Aroostook County District Attorney Todd Collins overseeing 15 to 20 individuals convicted in state courts of drug- and alcohol-related crimes, according to County Administrator Doug Beaulieu.
“Under the terms of the project, these are people who are deemed not a threat to society who are also people who are projected to be a good fit for rehabilitation,” Beaulieu said on Thursday. “Once they go through this program, hopefully then will be able to stay out of prison and lead successful lives.”
The program will be 18 months long, according to Beaulieu.
“We will need to watch and see if it works out,” he said. “This is kind of a pilot project for us. (District Attorney) Todd Collins has wanted to do something like this for the past three years, but we could never find the money for him to get it started. So the commissioners challenged him to see if he could find the money to do it. It will be quite the undertaking, but such projects usually are.”
In other business, commissioners approved forfeiture consent agreements with three individuals who have been charged with crimes. As a result of the agreements, the individuals will forfeit cash that will be returned back to the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department, Beaulieu said.
