FLS November Breakfast Recap

Louis Tesser, Judge Cynthia Becker, Steve Shewmaker

Family Law Section Welcomes Judge Cynthia J. Becker as November Speaker

The Family Law Section of the DeKalb Bar Association was honored to have Judge Cynthia J. Becker as its guest speaker at the November Family Law Breakfast on November 1, 2012. Judge Becker provided the section with some valuable insight and information regarding the DeKalb Superior Court’s Drug Court. She currently serves as the Drug Court’s presiding judge, and her passion for and commitment to the program was evident to all of those in attendance at the breakfast.

Judge Cynthia Becker

Judge Becker explained the importance of the Drug Court in curbing the extremely high recidivist rate that goes along with drug-related crimes. The Drug Court is structured in two tracks: one for defendants who are assessed to have a moderate to high risk of recidivism, and one for those who are assessed to have a moderate risk of recidivism. Both tracks are used for felons who are referred to the program by various sources including judges, attorneys, and probation officers. Both tracks involve outpatient treatment services, education, employment, and supervision.

According to Judge Becker, the benefits of the Drug Court program to the community are numerous. The statistics regarding the drop in the recidivism rates of Drug Court graduates is staggering. The cost of Drug Court is significantly less than the cost of housing a drug-addicted inmate in the DeKalb County Jail, especially considering that in addition to being funded by the taxpayers, the Drug Court also benefits from a significant amount of grant money. Finally, approximately 90 percent of the program’s participants are employed, which is significant given their criminal backgrounds. As a result of her involvement in the Drug Court, Judge Becker stated that she has very little patience for parties who appear in her courtroom claiming they are unable to find a job.

Judge Becker also reminded attendees that the Drug Court can provide supervised drug testing to any party in any case. In the family law context, the only requirement is an order from the assigned judge for testing to be completed.

The next Family Law Section breakfast is December 6 at 7:30 a.m. at the Old Courthouse on the Square, 101 E. Court Square in downtown Decatur. As always, breakfast is provided by Sawicki’s. The speaker for the December breakfast will be The Honorable Gregory A. Adams.

The Family Law Section welcomed Judge Cynthia Becker as the guest speaker for November