Youngstown Municipal Judge Carla Baldwin created a drug court to reduce recidivism and promote the court as a place of healing.

Youngstown Municipal Judge Carla Baldwin created a drug court to reduce recidivism and promote the court as a place of healing.

A pioneering northeast Ohio judge was drawn to the bench by her passion for criminal justice reform.

The recent certification of a new drug court is her latest achievement to change not only how courts operate, but to help reshape the community.

Youngstown Municipal Judge Carla Baldwin, the first African American woman elected to a Mahoning County bench, took on the initiative after inheriting another specialized docket, a veterans treatment court, when she took office in 2018.

“We’re a helping station for the people who walk through our doors. We don’t want this to be a revolving door,” Judge Baldwin said. “If we can address the why and the issues that brought them into court, they leave here happier, healthier, whole, and now they’re a productive member of our society.”

As a former magistrate and county prosecutor, she would see reoccurring faces charged with different offenses. Those issues of recidivism escalated over the past decade due to multiple waves in the drug epidemic.

Relying on her strong connections to the community through her professional and volunteer work with various organizations, and seeing the success of Mahoning County Common Pleas Judge John Durkin’s drug court, Judge Baldwin started a dialogue with local treatment providers, law enforcement, and other agencies within months of starting her term.

“Every group I reached out to showed up at the table,” Judge Baldwin said.

Despite the challenges of urban municipal courts, which handle the highest volume of cases of any judicial level, Judge Baldwin and her staff took on the additional work without added assistance.

Her bailiff serves as the program coordinator, her probation officer carries a larger caseload, and her secretary inputs the participants’ data.

That responsibility can cover an additional 15 to 30 people – each with individualized treatment plans – to regularly monitor for a three-phase process that requires at least one year to complete.

“It’s extra work without the extra pay, but the community deserves our best,” Judge Baldwin said. “So many people don’t have someone to talk to. They’re more than the worst thing that they’ve done. Here, they’re surrounded by support.”

During the past year, as the court worked in conjunction with the Ohio Supreme Court’s Specialized Docket Section through the certification steps, both sides had to adjust to the limitations of the pandemic.

The Supreme Court relied on virtual visits and updates to assess the municipal court’s program development, while Judge Baldwin and the drug court team had to modify how to maintain the docket from a distance due to COVID-19 restrictions.

After a few months of relying heavily on videoconferencing and phone calls, the specialty court was able to reconvene in person amid health and safety protocols for its biweekly meetings.

“Once we came back into court, we saw the progress that they’d made,” Judge Baldwin said. “If they can do this in 2020, then what can’t they do?”

For the successful applicants, there’s a multitude of short- and long-term gains. First, they can get eligible charges reduced or dismissed, alleviating immediate and lasting criminal record problems. More important, they gain a clean perspective and various skill sets to manage the underlying issues that led their substance use.

“We’re here to provide the tools, treatment, and support,” Judge Baldwin said. “I will stay in the ring and fight with you as long as you’re willing to fight.”