Tucker County Community Corrections Executive Director Dustin Luzier said the program continues to grow, help its clients and save money for Tucker County.
By Beth Christian Broschart
The Parsons Advocate
PARSONS – The Tucker County Community Corrections is finishing up another successful year of helping deliver programs aimed at helping their clients while saving Tucker County hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees for those incarcerated. Dustin Luzier, director of Tucker County Community Corrections said they made their presentation for a grant for the upcoming year, which begins July 1.
Luzier said some of the Tucker County Community Corrections clients are using a new therapy with great results.
“It’s called Vivitrol and it is actually an opiate blocker,” Luzier said. “It’s not a substitute for anything else like prior treatments are – it’s an injection our clients can receive every 28 days.”
Luzier said with the injections being every 28 days, the treatment works those days, relieving the client of having to remember to take something every day.
“We have had awesome success with the injections,” Luzier said. “The clients have had no relapses and we are so pleased with the success.”
Luzier said the injections are made at a physician’s office and said the injections also involve treatment sessions – they have to have treatment in groups and therapy and such. He said that is the best tool they have now. He said the Vivitrol helps with those who are using opiates or alcohol.
During the year, Tucker County Community Corrections has worked with 72 clients and has saved Tucker County $500,000 in jail fees.
Another program Luzier has put into place is a program to help people who are depressed, anxious or need someone to talk to.
“The program is in response to all the tragedy in Tucker County with unexpected deaths of people,” Luzier said. “If they contact us, we set them up with an individual therapist. It doesn’t cost them anything and we get them set up. We have had quite a few people take advantage of this.”
In Aug. 2012, Tucker County Community Corrections started administering the home incarceration program.
“We are getting ready to transition over to a new (home confinement) company that offers some new technology at the end of the month,” Luzier said. “We run the home incarceration program in Tucker County.”
Luzier said he attributes the success of the Tucker County Community Corrections to many factors including the cooperation within the county.
“We couldn’t be as successful as we are without Elizabeth Smith, who helps me out every day and keeps everything running smooth,” Luzier said. “We are also grateful for everyone else’s cooperation including the Tucker County Commission, the Tucker County Magistrate Court, the Tucker County Circuit Court, the Tucker County Sheriff’s Department, the West Virginia State Police, the Tucker County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the Tucker County Clerk, the Tucker County Probation Office and the City of Parsons Police Department. Everybody helps us out so much and you can really see that. Without everybody’s help and the ability to work together, we would not be where we are today.”
The Tucker County Community Corrections Office is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. The main office is located in Parsons between the Tucker County Courthouse and the Tucker County Courthouse Annex in the former Tucker County Commission Building. They also have a satellite office in the Davis Fire Department for those in that part of the county.
Additional information about the Tucker County Community Corrections is available by calling 304-478-2323.
