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By Valerie S. Johnson
Got a gambling problem that leads you to commit crimes? If you appear before Justice Mark G. Farrell in Amherst Town Court in New York, you might have the option to participate in a diversion program rather than do time in jail. Gamblers are a diverse breed, including college-educated parents and unemployed kids with prior criminal convictions. They are all driven by the same motive: to do whatever they can to get cash to feed their habit.
The gambling treatment court, which started in 2001, is based on the model for treatment courts for drug- and domestic violence-related offenses. Defendants must plead guilty but their punishment is deferred for up to a year. The court-supervised regimen includes mandatory attendance at Gamblers Anonymous meetings, counseling, credit checks, and meetings with Judge Farrell to assess their progress. If gamblers complete the treatment program, which takes an average of nearly nine months, their criminal charges may be dismissed.
Judge Farrell is a regular speaker on the topic of his gambling treatment court, the first of its kind in the U.S. According to his detailed presentation which is available here, offenders in his court favor blackjack, lotteries, sports betting, video poker, the stock market and quick draw. More than 71% of their crimes involve theft from an employer or family member.
Defendants with a gambling problem who are incarcerated have limited – if any – access to treatment programs, and are likely to return to gambling upon release. The goal of the gambling treatment court is to change an individual’s behavior instead of punishing them for it, except as required for compliance with the rigorous treatment program.
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Got a gambling problem that leads you to commit crimes? If you appear before Justice Mark G. Farrell in Amherst Town Court in New York, you might have the option to participate in a diversion program rather than do time in jail. Gamblers are a diverse breed, including college-educated parents and unemployed kids with prior criminal convictions. They are all driven by the same motive: to do whatever they can to get cash to feed their habit.
The gambling treatment court, which started in 2001, is based on the model for treatment courts for drug- and domestic violence-related offenses. Defendants must plead guilty but their punishment is deferred for up to a year. The court-supervised regimen includes mandatory attendance at Gamblers Anonymous meetings, counseling, credit checks, and meetings with Judge Farrell to assess their progress. If gamblers complete the treatment program, which takes an average of nearly nine months, their criminal charges may be dismissed.
Judge Farrell is a regular speaker on the topic of his gambling treatment court, the first of its kind in the U.S. According to his detailed presentation which is available here, offenders in his court favor blackjack, lotteries, sports betting, video poker, the stock market and quick draw. More than 71% of their crimes involve theft from an employer or family member.
Defendants with a gambling problem who are incarcerated have limited – if any – access to treatment programs, and are likely to return to gambling upon release. The goal of the gambling treatment court is to change an individual’s behavior instead of punishing them for it, except as required for compliance with the rigorous treatment program.
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