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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 26, 2006 Circuit Court candidates: Meth-related cases overload the system By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Education is needed to curb drug addiction, say candidates vying for a new judgeship created largely in response to the local methamphetamine epidemic. The consequences of using drugs, particularly for children taken from addict parents, should be illuminated in statewide school programs, said Paul Henderson, candidate for Jackson County Circuit Court judge position 9. Opponent Ron Grensky wants to go one step further. Bringing an actual courtroom sentencing to a school auditorium would be a wake-up call for kids, helping stop meth use before it ever starts, Grensky said. When addicts land in court, standard criminal penalties don't have much effect on the wide-reaching problem, he said. "By the time we are getting to them, it's too late because of its addictive nature," he said. But daily dealings with meth-related crime have convinced candidate Lisa Greif that the county's new drug courts are working. Since 1998, Circuit Court has bundled a drug-stricken family's entire caseload into a package heard exclusively by one judge for about two years. Participants have fewer arrests, episodes of domestic violence and dealings with the child welfare system, according to a local study released in February. Advertisement Citing the success of drug courts, Greif advocates expanding the concept into more specialty courts to address other societal issues such as mental health and domestic violence. "The studies show that those types of programs work," Greif said. All three candidates agree that reducing local meth use will help alleviate the court's heavy caseload, among the largest in the state per judge. Mandating mediation in civil cases will further lighten the load, they say. Additionally, Grensky said, if elected, he would help shoulder the burden of other judges' caseloads. Occasionally holding court on Saturday would make it easier for the working public to make appearances, he added. "The judicial system is to serve the people ... not the other way around," said Grensky, who has extensive experience mediating cases in his 26 years as an attorney. In 1996, he founded a company called Mediation Solutions. Henderson has never formally served as a mediator. Yet preserving rapport in broken families is the focus of his family law practice, he said. Greif, a criminal defense attorney, also cites no mediation experience. But she extensively negotiates most of her cases behind the scenes before the clients appear in front of a judge. About 95 percent of the county's criminal cases are resolved with a plea instead of a trial, she said. A familiar face in the courtroom, Greif captured the support of local attorneys last week, winning the Jackson County Bar Association's preference poll with 41 percent. "I think it's just indicative of my reputation," Greif said. Many of her courtroom adversaries from the county District Attorney's Office have vouched for Greif. She also has the endorsement of sitting Circuit Court judges Lorenzo Mejia, William Purdy, Patricia Crain and Rebecca Orf. Second-time Circuit Court candidate Joe Charter pitched his support for Greif while withdrawing from the race last week. Also making his second run at a Circuit Court judgeship, Grensky lost a high-profile campaign in 1998 to incumbent Phil Arnold. Grensky, a Medford native and former state senator, earned 33 percent of the county bar association's votes. His supporters include former Oregon Congressman Bob Smith, retired judges Mitchell Karaman and Loren Sawyer and a long list of local attorneys. About 5 percent of votes were cast in favor of Henderson, who said he doesn't believe the poll was indicative of his chances. His support base comes primarily from the local Christian community, he said. If elected, he would attempt to give religious organizations more access to prisons and jail, he said. Faith-based methods are shown to be effective at reducing reoffending rates, he said. "There's only so much that criminal law and punishment can achieve," Henderson said. Recidivism locally is tied to drug addiction, Greif and Grensky agree, and must be addressed in that context. "We need to find out why they're turning to it meth, make it difficult for them to get it," Grensky said. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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