“If you are a first-time or low-level offender who wants help, we will work to get you into a diversionary program where you can get into recovery under court supervision. But if you are a drug-trafficker selling poison to our youth and bringing violence to our streets, we will find you, arrest you and put you behind bars.”
For more than a decade, fatal opioid drug overdoses have been plaguing communities like ours across the country. While District Attorney Brian Gallagher aggressively pursues criminals who bring deadly drugs into our community, he also understands that efforts must continue to reduce the death toll from opioid drugs and provide a second chance to offenders who deserve one.
Diversionary Programs
Lackawanna County has one of the oldest Drug Treatment Court programs in the state. It allows drug offenders who qualify to get into recovery under strict court supervision with the condition that if they fail to comply with court-mandated requirements, they go to jail. Many graduates of Drug Treatment Court credit the program with saving their lives. The DA’s Office also offers a Fresh Start program, which allows qualifying low-level drug offenders to avoid charges being filed at the District Magistrate level if they comply with certain requirements ordered by the court.
Overdose Fatality Review Team
Funded through grants from the U.S. Department of Justice, the DA’s Overdose Fatality Review Team has become a nationally recognized model for other programs around the country. The team, comprised of representatives from 17 agencies and community organizations, collects and analyzes data on fatal overdoses in Lackawanna County to understand their causes and implement harm-reduction strategies to address those causes. In 2023, the Lackawanna County OFR Team was recognized as a national model and was designated one of only 11 programs in the United States to serve as a peer mentor site. Peer mentor sites help train other OFR Teams throughout the country on how to implement their own programs.
Lackawanna Recovery Coalition
DA’s Office staff works closely with the Lackawanna Recovery Coalition to implement harm-reduction strategies and other programs aimed at preventing fatal opiate overdoses and saving lives. Assistance from the DA’s Office has been critical in the Coalition’s efforts to distribute thousands of doses of Narcan, along with recovery resources. The Coalition’s harm-reduction programs, with assistance from the DA’s Office, are credited with saving countless lives in Lackawanna County. More information can be found at www.lackawannarecovery.org.
FREE Narcan
The District Attorney’s Office distributes FREE Narcan, the lifesaving overdose-reversal medication, to anyone who wants it in Lackawanna County. Use our order form to order yours today. It will be mailed to you in a plain envelope and your information will be kept strictly confidential. Narcan only works on someone who has taken opioid drugs. It is non-addictive and harmless. Have it on hand if you know someone who suffers from substance use disorder, if you have someone in your house who takes prescription opioid painkillers, or even if you just have opioid medications in your medicine cabinet. Even if you don’t know anyone who uses opioids, make Narcan part of your First Aid kit. You never know when you might need it to save a life.