Catlin Morris of West Virginia Court ordered to 7 NA meetings a week, serve as an NA treasurer, run NA meetings in hospitals

This is totally ridiculous! A convicted felon being court mandated to NA for a 30 year sentence? (Bold is mine)

Man's progress earns him home confinement

Brandy Brubaker
Jun 20, 2012 (The Dominion Post - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --

A recovering heroin addict will serve a three-to-30-year prison sentence from his home rather than a prison cell.

Monongalia County Circuit Judge Russell Clawges called the decision to send Catlin Morris to prison or put him on home confinement a "tossup," but ultimately decided to give Morris a shot to continue the positive changes he has made in his life since his most recent arrest.

Clawges sentenced Morris -- who has been clean for almost nine months -- to one-to-15 years in prison Tuesday on a charge of possession of heroin with intent to deliver. Sheriff 's deputies said Morris tried to ditch a bag containing 137 stamps of heroin in September and he pleaded guilty to the charge.

Clawges also revoked Morris' probation Tuesday from a 2008 burglary and larceny case and reinstated his original two-to-15-year sentence. That will run consecutively to the sentence for the heroin case.

Although Clawges opted not to send Morris back to prison Tuesday, he said Morris must continue his new regimented lifestyle while on home confinement. Morris works a full-time job, goes to seven Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings a week, serves as an NA treasurer, runs NA meetings at medical facilities for patients who can't leave, and works out regularly, in addition to spending time with his wife, his attorney Lance Rollo said.

Rollo said Morris graduated from drug court during his try at probation, but suffered a relapse. He since completed an in-patient drug rehabilitation program, got a job, started going to NA and has turned his life around.

"He's got a lot of stuff going for him and he'd like to continue that," Rollo said.

Morris said he realized at rehab that drugs weren't his only problem; he also had to heal himself.

"I've been doing everything I can since I've been out, doing the right things," Morris said. "I've been putting a lot of work in."

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Perri DeChristopher said, however, that Morris should be sent to prison. He had plenty of opportunities to ask for help before, but didn't, she said.

"We're not here because of a relapse, we're here because of his continued criminal history," DeChristopher said.

Clawges said Morris will go to prison if he messes up again.

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