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Compton Judge Inducted into Legal Hall of Fame
By
Cheryl Scott
Bulletin Staff
Writer
Compton Drug Court founder Judge Ellen DeShazer has been inducted
into the John Langston Bar Association Hall of Fame at a ceremony held
at the Omni Hotel in Los Angeles.
The prestigious award was presented to DeShazer for her work in
establishing the city’s drug court program, in which drug offenders
are offered counseling, rehabilitation and recovery assistance in lieu
of jail time. The program has been used as a model for similar programs
in the Los Angeles area and cities throughout the United States.
“Judge DeShazer is very deserving of this award,” said Judge
Kelvin Filer of the Compton Superior Court. “It has been a privilege
to serve with her because she puts her heart and soul into her job. She
single-handedly established the Compton Drug Court, bringing innovative
strategies to the problem of drug addiction. Its success has been
beneficial
for individual families and society at large.”
The Drug Court is a pre-plea program that uses the legal system
to steer drug users into a more productive life. California Proposition
36 works toward the same goal, but it requires the defendant to enter
a guilty plea. In order to enter the Compton Drug Court program, the
defendant is not required to plead guilty but must make a one-year commitment.
Once defendants make the commitment, their cases are dismissed.
The program is only available in drug related cases in which the
substance is for self-use.
The court operates in the same manner as other courts, with prosecutors,
defense attorneys, a probation officer and a judge. But there is a critical
difference. “In this court we have a team approach,” DeShazer
said in a recent interview with The Bulletin. “We are all working
together to get the offender into treatment and help him or her stay
out of jail.”
The John Langston Bar Association of Los Angeles was established
during the early days of the 20th century, when African-American attorneys
could not join the California Bar Association. It is named in honor of
John Langston, the son of a freed slave in Virginia. Langston moved to
Ohio and graduated from Oberlin College in 1849. However, when he applied
to Albany Law School in New York, he was rejected because of his race.
After several years of study under an attorney and reading law
with Judge Philemon Bliss in Ohio, he was admitted to the Ohio Bar, the
first African American to be admitted. He was later admitted to the Virginia
Bar and went on to serve the state in the House of Representatives.
In 1868 he established the law school at Howard University, serving
as its first dean and as acting president of the university.
This is the 15th year the award has been given. The Hall of Fame
honor is given to judges or attorneys who perform services that exceed
their official duties and who create exceptional benefit to the community.
“Ellen took the initiative to start the Drug Court,” said
Filer. “She
secured the funding and got the medical professionals and counselors
on board. She went far above and beyond the line of duty, and her
efforts have paid off. What she has created is a model for similar programs
throughout
the area and in many other states.”
The program includes residential or outpatient treatment for substance
abuse, after care and graduation upon completion. Treatment is provided
by Shields for Families, which is a provider chosen in an open bid process.
Defendants in the program are tracked to ensure that they are complying
with the entire treatment regimen. The court keeps in touch with them
after they complete the program. “Our success rate is very good,” said
DeShazer. “About 68 percent of our participants complete the program
and remain drug-free.”
Earlier this year, DeShazer began a free clothing distribution
for participants in the Drug Court program. “Many of these people
are one step away from skid row,” she said at the time. “They
do not have even ordinary clothing to wear. Others need appropriate clothing
for the workplace of for job interviews. As long as they stick with the
program, we let them pick out the clothes they need.”
Anyone who would like to donate clothing for the Drug Court program
should call Mona McClure at (310) 603-7814.
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