A specialized part of Finger Lakes Treatment Court will be tailored to eligible defendants at a high risk of opioid overdose.
It’s called the Opioid Stabilization Part, or OSP, and has already been introduced in Erie and Monroe Counties.
Betsy Lee, treatment Court Coordinator for the Finger Lakes Treatment Court says the new step will provide immediate intervention, treatment and supervision to high risk defendants.
"We want to get people that have an issue with opiates, an addiction to opioids, in to treatment even faster then we've been doing with the treatment courts. To get to these folks sooner, to hopefully save lives."
Defendants who opt to undergo screening and are found to be high-risk will have their case proceed in the OSP.
Once it is determined the defendant is stabilized, their case will be transferred back to the Finger Lakes Treatment Court.
"Because any day that an opiate addict is out using, is a day they can overdose. So if they’re getting arrested, and then the whole process, before they plea or whatever takes a month or two. Very disastrous things can happen in that month or two."
Under the OSP, that person will be supervised, and has to check in to court every day.
The operation began countywide last week.