By Monica Vaughan
Appeal-Democrat
MARYSVILLE, Calif. — The Sutter County justice system launched a new program Friday that creates an immediate incentive for defendants to complete drug treatment programs.
In the first case under the new agreement, Brandon Michael Fuller now has the threat of 10 years and four months in prison hanging over his head if he fails a one-year residential treatment program.
Fuller, 35, pleaded no contest on Friday to vehicle theft and failure to appear and admitted a prior strike and prison terms, which enhance his potential prison sentence. If he is successful in the treatment program and obeys all laws, he will return to Sutter County Superior Court on Jan. 23, 2017, and be granted probation in his cases.
If he fails in any way, he will be brought back to court and sentenced to prison.
Based on a Yuba County model, the Sutter County District Attorney’s Office new program is meant to keep people out of the county jail, improve public safety, reduce the likelihood the defendant will reoffend, and place the responsibility of success in treatment on the defendant, said District Attorney Amanda Hopper. “It maximizes the potential benefit to correct and reduce criminal conduct,” Hopper said. “To me, it’s worth it to try something new that may not work. It this program ends up not working, I’m willing to try things that are going to have a long-term impact on productivity and public safety in our community.”
She worked to implement the system after she saw its success in Yuba County.
Yuba County District Attorney Patrick McGrath and others created the model to manage increased jail populations following California’s prison realignment, which kept many people convicted of less-serious felonies in local jail systems, rather than in the state prison system.
They found 53 percent of the defendants they sent to programs before sentencing successfully completed programs, according to McGrath’s internal assessment of 101 felony cases.
Hopper said Fuller is a good candidate for the program because he has expressed a desire to go into treatment, and, while he has a significant criminal history, his most recent offenses are not violent.
After Fuller completes a treatment program, he will still have three years of services and support from probation, Hopper said.
“This gives him an opportunity to live a lawful, drug-free life.”
During Fuller’s court hearing Friday, Judge Christopher Chandler was careful to outline all of the particulars of the agreement.
For example, a letter from Deputy District Attorney Jacquelyn Stenson will direct the jail to release Fuller for 12 hours sometime next week to allow him to apply to a program.
Fuller, who is represented by defense attorney Norman Hanson, has 45 days to identify, enroll in and become accepted into an approved treatment program.