One of the things I often assist my clients in is finding substance abuse treatment. Typically, it seems that the judicial system is more concerned with punitive treatment and harsh punishment, rather than constructive treatment when it comes to drinking and driving charges. I'm not saying that jail and fines are completely inappropriate and totally ineffective, but as members of society, shouldn't we be concerned about real change and not just punishment?
As a DUI defense lawyer, I am an advocate for getting people who are addicted on drugs and alcohol into treatment, rather than just locking them up. That will be a little more difficult now as a treatment facility was recently closed down by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. Kansas shut down the Atishwin Institute, for allegedly violating regulatory provisions, not following the requirements of the Alcohol or Other Drug Addiction Treatment Act. The Institute served and treated up to 35 in-patients, at any given time. The facility has 15 days to appeal and request a hearing on the matter. Hopefully they can turn things around and their attorney can save their license to operate.
Allegedly, the facilities were poorly up kept. Additionally, they supposedly weren't conducting tuberculosis testing for their employees, didn't have a way to hold controlled substances, didn't have a proper bio waste disposal, and etc.