Cuyahoga County wants to help problem gamblers ensnared in legal troubles

An advertisement for online gambling outside the Cuyahoga County Justice Center

An advertisement for online gambling outside the Cuyahoga County Justice Center. A new program at the Court of Common Pleas aims to identify defendants with gambling addictions and get them specific resources.Cory Shaffer, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court is launching a first-of-its-kind program in Ohio to identify defendants with gambling addictions and connect them to treatment.

Judge Brendan Sheehan said the court wanted to get its Problem Gambling Addiction Program up and running before the state’s new sports betting laws go into effect on Jan. 1.

“The state of Ohio approved gambling and that’s great, but we also know there’s a bad side, and we want to be prepared for it,” Sheehan said.

The court partnered with Recovery Resources and Ohio for Responsible Gambling, a statewide organization made up of the Ohio Lottery Commission, the Ohio Casino Control Commission, the Ohio State Racing Commission and the Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services, to expand the assessments given to people charged with crimes when they begin the court process.

Those who receive probation sentences are then linked with gambling-specific treatment through Recovery Resources, and they can have their felony convictions wiped away if they complete the treatment, Sheehan said.

Sheehan said the program can take up to 50 defendants, but it will be expanded if it’s successful and more defendants would benefit from it.

“Hopefully it reduces crime in our community and stops the perpetuation of people circulating in our system over a gambling addiction issue,” Sheehan said.

Is problem gambling that prevalent?

According to research conducted by Yale Medicine, about 1% of U.S. adults can be considered problem gamblers. Gambling addiction in teens can be as high as 7%, fueled by online betting on sports and games, the research said.

Research also shows that, among those people who sought treatment for gambling disorders, about 70% said that they committed a crime to fund their gambling addiction. The most common offenses are fraud, theft, burglary, domestic violence and aggravated assaults.

Sheehan said he did not know how many of the court’s defendants also have a gambling addiction because the court doesn’t screen them for it. It would be up to the defendants to tell their attorneys about their gambling issues, and for the attorneys to bring it up to the judge at sentencing as mitigation.

“I’m hoping we’re prepared for the worst, and we don’t need it as much,” he said.

How the new program works

When suspects are charged with crimes, they go through the central booking process. Probation department staff there already screen incoming defendants for drug or alcohol addiction, mental health diagnoses or other issues.

The court has trained its probation officers to give defendants another assessment to look for in gambling issues. The assessment, which is five questions, includes whether they have tried to but cannot cut back on gambling, hidden from people close to them how often they gamble or had to seek financial help because of losses in the last year.

The court hired a probation officer whose sole job is to supervise the new assessment program.

Recovery Resources will provide treatment that focuses on mental health, decision-making and impulse control, Sheehan said.

Who is eligible?

People charged with crimes will receive assessments, whether they are accused of stealing from a store or committing murder.

However, only people who sentenced to probation are eligible to be placed into the specialized treatment.

Sheehan said that, even if the screening doesn’t catch someone with a gambling addiction, the judge who is overseeing the person’s case can refer the person to the program at any time if the judge believes the person may have a problem with gambling.

First in Ohio, Biggest in the country

Karen Russo, the former director of Ohio for Responsible Gambling who Sheehan said was instrumental in helping establish the program, said at an October news conference that Cuyahoga County’s program is the first one in the state and the largest such program in the country.

Sheehan said that Russo pitched the court’s judges on implementing the program, and the judges were immediately on board.

Russo said that she hoped the program here will be a blueprint for courts across the country.

“The goal for all of us is to mitigate the harm in gambling,” she said.

What if I need help now without being charged with a crime?

There are several hotlines available to connect people struggling with problem gambling with trained counselors. They are confidential and open 24/7.

The Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline: 800-589-9966.

The National Council on Problem Gaming: 800-522-4700.

The Gambling Addiction Hotline: 844-779-2637.

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