The city’s addiction crisis reached a disturbing new level last week when 27 people overdosed on the same batch of drugs in the Penn North neighborhood — a community long associated with Baltimore’s drug epidemic.
The mass overdose raised a few questions for Spotlight on Maryland: What needs to be done to help someone struggling with addiction enter recovery? And is arresting them the answer?
For one man, the justice system played a pivotal role in his recovery.
Once homeless and addicted to cocaine and fentanyl, Darren Dugan said he hit a breaking point in 2020.
“Honestly, it was by the grace of God I had been told about a program,” Dugan said. “I was done. It wasn’t for me; it was for my kids.”
That moment of clarity came after time spent behind bars. For the first time, Dugan said he found extended recovery.
“I did have a stipulation for probation that I needed to stay sober,” he said. “I was told, ‘You’re in a program now. You stay in that program, and you stick in that program because if you walk away from it, you’ll be violated.’ ”
Dugan shares a message with others battling addiction.
“What needs to be understood is that drug court is not a punishment,” he said. “Probation is not a punishment. Being remanded to the custody of a treatment center is not a punishment. These are all alternatives to incarceration.”
This kind of court-ordered intervention, while not always the first choice, can be the turning point for some people in active addiction.
Jeremy Eldridge, a defense attorney and partner at Zealous Advocates in Baltimore, said he believes the criminal justice system acts as a last resort to connect people with treatment services.
“It’s not the idea of incarceration that’s beneficial — or even prosecution ending in conviction,” Eldridge said. “It’s the idea of forcing that individual into the court systems that they can benefit from services. If they’re compliant with such services, their charges could be dismissed at a later time.”
Spotlight on Maryland asked the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office whether the 27 individuals who overdosed in Penn North on July 10 should be arrested to get them into recovery.
In response, the office said a citation docket may be better suited. These dockets are typically issued for quality-of-life offenses and can bring a person before a judge — not necessarily to jail, but to be connected with services.
“Essentially, to bring people into court to offer treatment,” Eldridge said. “Not to place people in jail. Not to saddle them with convictions, but to offer wraparound services — including mental health and drug treatment.”
Despite the overdose cluster, the open-air drug market in Penn North remained active in the days that followed. Spotlight on Maryland witnessed multiple people openly buying drugs and using them in the same area.
Dugan said court intervention can be necessary, especially for those who feel stuck.
“I do think in some instances, that’s where a lot of people find some solidarity in themselves,” he said. “The choices are to either lean into the help — or unfortunately, lean into eventual death.”
Dugan said recovery is possible and worth fighting for.
“There is so much opportunity out here to do something different, to make more for yourself,” he said. “I know what it’s like to feel like you’re not going to get there, or that’s not what you deserve, or it’s not possible — but it is.”
The State’s Attorney’s Office, defense attorney Jeremy Eldridge and recovery advocate Darren Dugan all agree: Getting someone struggling with addiction in front of a judge could help connect them with treatment.
Spotlight on Maryland is a collaborative project by FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun. Have a tip or story idea? Contact Tessa Bentulan at tbentulan@sbgtv.com.
