Winn Parish District Attorney Chris Nevils and District Judge Anastasia Wiley met with the Police Jury during their Nov. 29 session to propose an agreement for disbursement of settlement funds that will be paid to the parish for years to come due to a suit heard in New York pertaining to opioid painkillers sold by pharmaceutical companies.
Initial figures indicate that the Police Jury will receive about $40,000 to $45,000 annually over the next 18 years, with that total to be shared 50/50 between the offices of the District Judge and District Attorney. Additionally, about $10,000 will go directly to the Sheriff’s Office. The nationwide settlements were reached in 2021 and the parish has recently received the funds for the first two years.
Nevils explained that the DA’s Office has traditionally worked to get drug-dependent offenders (not dealers) a way of treatment rather than straight incarceration what doesn’t help the problem. They try hard especially in cases of juveniles and with families in need. An example he gave might be sentencing to a program of counseling rather than traditional jail time.
“We haven’t had funding for this in the past,” he said, suggesting that it’s had to come out of his available revenues. “This will give us some compensation. It could also be seen as a hedge against inflation if we don’t have to ask the Police Jury for more the funding. It will greatly expand our resources and could help us keep some out of jail thus more productive in society.”
The proposal is for the jury to approve an agreement allowing their office to disburse funds to the offices of the judge or DA as needed rather than those offices needing to request then required special action from the parish each time. “We don’t want to build too big a program at the start. We are not for sure how long it will last. While it’s set for 18 years, some companies might go bankrupt.”
Wiley gave her “ditto” to Nevils’ presentation. She acknowledged that we have a local drug problem. We also have a local treatment problem, she indicated, calling Winn a “desert” of drug treatment possibilities currently. With the court sentencing, “it’s not up to us to pick which treatment facility.” One idea if other districts would agree would be a multi-parish agreement wherein they would pool resources to hire a qualified counselor to serve the districts on a rotating basis.
She added that some of that funding could be used for effective drug testing which could include qualified personnel to administer that testing. She said sometimes individuals come into her courtroom appearing somewhat questionable. “Before I rule to let someone take a young child home with them, I want to ensure they’re not on drugs.”