By Gabriel Eskandari
WOODLAND, CA – During a pre-hearing conference in Yolo County Superior Court Monday, the defense and the prosecution reached an agreement to allow Jessie Young, a man charged with several felonies and misdemeanors, to participate in the Addiction Intervention Court (AIC) Restorative Justice Program.
Specifically, Young is facing a felony purchase of stolen property charge, a misdemeanor unlicensed driver charge, a misdemeanor unlawful possession of paraphernalia charge stemming from Dec. 18, 2020, a felony burglary charge stemming from July 9, 2020, and a misdemeanor public intoxication charge stemming from Feb. 22, 2021.
AIC is a program that serves up to 20 people at a time who struggle with substance abuse and who are involved in the criminal justice system as a result.
AIC is an attempt to shift the focus from the previous Felony Drug Court program toward a more proactive approach, and it uses a similar model to the Mental Health Court program.
The program is voluntary for individuals who want to seek addiction treatment. A rewards-based system is used to encourage progress, which can include reduction of fines and fees, letters of recommendation for employment, and dismissal of charges.
Young appeared in court remotely via Zoom from the Monroe Detention Center.
Defense Attorney Ava Landers, standing in for Defense Attorney James Granucci, stated Young had applied for the AIC program but had not been absolutely accepted yet.
Attorney Landers then asked the court to let her client be released for a trial run in the program when an opening becomes available.
“What we’re asking the court to do, and that’s the AIC team, is for the court to put him on supervised OR to be directly transported to a program when a bed becomes available. If Mr. Young does well in that program for two months, then we would return to court and he then would be accepted in the AIC program. So it’s kind of a trial run,” Landers said.
Deputy District Attorney Caryn Warren agreed with the course of action, but stated her notes read Young needed to do well for 30 days, rather than 60 days, to be accepted.
Judge Timothy L. Fall then ordered that Young could be released on supervised own recognizance for when a bed becomes available at the AIC program. Probation or Health and Human Services were given the authority to transport him to the program.
Judge Fall also set the matter out for a review on March 11 at 9 a.m. to hear how Young has been doing in the program.
