Becca Hinshaw is a shining example of drug court success
(Editor's Note: This is the third of a series of articles looking at the drug court program in Livingston County.)
Rebecca Hinshaw was at rock bottom in her life and she had a choice to make — get clean or go to prison. Having been incarcerated once, prison wasn't an option she relished. So, it was time to get clean.
And nearly 13 years later, Becca, as she is known, is clean, sober and gainfully employed doing something that is truly important for a lot of people.
Hinshaw was one of the very first two drug court participants in Livingston County. This was before there was an actual official, state-recognized drug court in Livingston County.
“I didn't think I was going to get drug court. It was kind of a life-changer,” Hinshaw told the Daily Leader recently. “I was happy to have a chance because I was looking at going to prison. I thought I was going to prison for five years and I had already been there, so I did not want to go back. I needed help.”
Hinshaw, who now works as a certified counselor at IHR, said openly that she had trouble with heroin and alcohol. This admission is part of her recovery process and the story she tells clients.
“It was a little different when I was actually on it,” Hinshaw noted. “I was in jail and got sentenced and then I went directly to treatment and got an assessment in Chicago.”
Hinshaw was charged with retail theft before getting drug court. She was basically a test subject because there had not been anything like this in Livingston County. Livingston County's drug court, as it is now, did not officially come into being until after Randy Yedinak took over as state's attorney.
In Illinois, a drug court cannot be certified by the state without that county's state's attorney's recommendation. Seth Uphoff was Yedinak's predecessor and was not interested in having a certified drug court.
Still, there was a sort of drug court that was in place with Judge Jennifer Bauknecht presiding.
“Anyone can refer someone to drug court,” said Teresa Diemer, clinical director at IHR. “What we look for is a person who has their foot in the door to the Department of Corrections. A referral is given to Heidi (Zeidenstein) at Probation. She meets with that individual to see if their charges, etc., meet their basic criteria. Then what she does is let one of us know, usually me, to do a substance-abuse evaluation to see if they have the minimal diagnosis they need to be on the drug court. From there they get approved or not approved.”
It was a similar situation for Hinshaw. Her retail theft conviction set her up for another prison term, but the new program was available and she accepted the opportunity to turn her life around.
“Those people tend to do crimes because of their addictions,” Hinshaw said.
“If you're getting on drug court, you probably have what we call a severe diagnosis of alcohol, opiates or meth. Meth seems to be hot right now,” Diemer said.
Hinshaw said she spent two months at in-patient rehabilitation in Chicago. She noted that her youngest son, she has two sons, was allowed to be with her through that process. She then came to IHR for out-patient treatment.
“More than likely the client is going to be coming here for treatment unless they go to an in-patient setting,” Diemer said. “We're always involved with the client on drug court even if they aren't in our treatment program.
“We are the treatment providers. We are giving them the counseling and the therapy to make the changes that we want them to see. We're part of that team to help the person change.”
Change is the key for the client. Diemer said that when a person comes to IHR for treatment, the process will include a substance-use assessment to determine what drugs, including alcohol, are the issue. Also, if there is mental health, trauma, evaluate to see what all is needed.
A recommendation is then made for either out-patient or in-patient treatment. Diemer said that treatment at IHR, which is out-patient, is 1-10 hours a week in both group and individual sessions.
A client will be in group sessions, typically, three times a week and meet with a counselor individually at least two times a month. According to Diemer, there are seven people in her substance-abuse department. Of those, two go out to schools in the county — currently there are five junior high schools that are visited — and five are in the office.
Among those in the office is Hinshaw, who became certified in May of this year.
Hinshaw's story was that she had grown up in a drug environment and it eventually got her in trouble. She did spend time in the Department of Corrections but Hinshaw said that she had gone years without trouble.
But then, Hinshaw got in trouble again with the retail theft charge.
“We've seen her at her worst and the progress to where she is today,” Diemer said of Hinshaw, who is the brilliant example of what drug court can do for those in need and who work at it.
“If you're addicted to heroin, you pretty much sell your soul,” Hinshaw said. “I went through withdrawals many times, you feel like you're dying.
“(Drug court) gives people chances, the chances you wouldn't think you would get,” Hinshaw added. “The benefits, the main thing, is they encourage honesty, which is something you have to have for your recovery.”
“We really work a lot with clients to get them through guilt and shame,” Diemer said. “But along with that, I've seen people try to recover without humbling themselves. I think they need to accept responsibility, owning to what they did and humble themselves.”
Hinshaw said that those in recovery need to be honest with themselves and accept the responsibility of their actions. There is an accountability standard that must be met and, she added, it's changing the thought process.
The system was set up somewhat differently when Hinshaw was offered drug court. The team that is in place today, which includes Diemer, Bauknecht, Yedinak, Public Defender Marinna Metoyer, Zeidenstein, Pontiac Police Chief Dan Davis and Dwight Police Chief Mike Nolan, oversees the process.
“It was more the probation officer, the judge and me,” Hinshaw said. “It's come a long way.”
Now, there is basically an army of supporters from the team to those at IHR to those sharing the experience of going through the drug process together.
“The people that come in our doors just want to know that we care,” Diemer said. “We don't judge people when they come in, we meet them where they are in their life today. They just want us to care about them.
“Becca didn't have much support at all, so we were always her support system. Even when she was done with treatment, she had been abstinent and in recovery for years, she would always stay in contact with me and some of the other ladies who work here. We were her people, her family to help her through that. That's the unfortunate part, a lot of people we work with don't have a lot of support.”
Diemer said that Hinshaw was hired at IHR through probation to act as a mentor to the drug court clients.
“I would meet with her to help guide her at times, just try to help her with the ins and outs,” Diemer said. “We hired her on here as a recovery coach to do some stuff here as well as at the jail. She still goes to the jail at least once a week.
“From there we saw the potential with her and got her on the track to sit for a test so she could become a counselor. She passed that test in May. She is seen as a master's-level therapist in the State of Illinois.”
Hinshaw is the one counselor, Diemer added, that clients know they cannot lie to because she's been their position. She knows the stories and can read anybody.
In an earlier interview, Yedinak noted that success can only be measured one person at a time, including Becca Hinshaw.
“When you look at this young woman who works at IHR who has completely turned her life around, (she is) a tax-paying, law-abiding citizen who has given back to that same community she was a part of,” Yedinak said.
“Another thing, she is raising her child,” Bauknecht added. “She's not costing the taxpayers here anything, she's paying her rent.
“We have many stories like that — people who have graduated, maintained their sobriety, have a good job, have their children living with them, raising their children. Not only does the community benefit because they are a tax-paying citizen, but also in terms of them supporting themselves and their family. They are contributing to society, as well.”
This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Becca Hinshaw is a shining example of drug court success
