By Whitney Vickers
FAIRBORN — Fairborn council unanimously approved additional funding recently to go toward the Greene Leaf Therapeutic Drug and Alcohol program.
Greene Leaf aims to change criminal-like and addictive behaviors that landed individuals within the criminal judicial system. Treatment includes therapeutic modality and cognitive behavior treatment, including individual and group counseling as well as behavior modification.
“As the opioid situation increases, we need to continue to provide treatment where the offenders can receive treatment but also serve a sanction (jail) for their criminal behavior,” said Greene County Adult Probation Director Melissa Litteral in an email to the Herald.
According to Fairborn Municipal Court Chief Probation Officer Dave Boutwell, an increasing amount of individuals have been referred in recent times to the Greene Leaf Therapeutic Drug and Alcohol program.
“In order to keep up with the demand [of referrals we’re receiving], I’d like to ask for an additional $13,200 to equal $45,000 to cover the costs,” Boutwell said while asking Fairborn City Council for additional funding to go toward the program.
Greene Leaf was started in 2002 for male defendants. However, the need to start a program for female defendants surfaced soon after, calling for its inception in 2005, according to Litteral.
“This program provides alcohol and drug treatment to those sentenced misdemeanors from Fairborn and Xenia Municipal Courts as well as felony offenders from Greene County Common Pleas Court,” she said, adding that the program provides sanctioned lock down treatment within jails. “The male program operates from the Greene County Adult Detention Center and the female program is located at the Greene County Jail.”
Greene Leaf can provide assistance to 52 individuals at a time; 32 males, 20 females. Litteral said it has served more than 1,100 individuals to date.
