DART Program Breaking the Addiction Cycle in Muskingum County
ZANESVILLE, OH – September is National Recovery Month, and right here in Muskingum County, the Prosecutor’s Office is making a difference with their Diversion and Rehabilitation Treatment program.
The DART program is giving people a second chance and making our community stronger. It’s designed to step in before someone faces arrest, offering support and treatment to those battling substance abuse.
“It’s for first time felony offenders that have a substance use. A lot of times, the officers will screen them. Maybe myself and some of the attorneys will screen them in. We’ll look at some different criteria if it’s their first time. They’ll sit down with me; we’ll do an assessment and see what resources we can link them to. Everyone that comes through DART is part of a treatment program, but then we also can refer for education. I’ve had someone recently get their GED, we can do employment, some housing, and we worked with a couple people to get their license back. Different things that help people be able to be successful in our community,” Diversion Coordinator, Kasi Stewart said.
By focusing on recovery rather than punishment, DART provides a path to long-term healing and helps prevent repeat offenses. This stops the endless loop of addiction and offers a real chance to break free from that cycle.
“I have a participant that was pregnant when she entered the program. We ended up getting her clean off of everything. She had a very healthy baby. Right there we broke the cycle,” Stewart said.
For more information on the Diversion and Rehabilitation Treatment program, visit the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office website.
