Client Success Stories
Changing Lives 🔸️ One Client At A Time
These are the stories based on real clients we’ve helped to win back their freedom and turn their lives around. Reach out to us and learn how we may do the same for you!
Case Study: Karl
Karl's Journey Toward A Better Life
Learn how we helped one client win back his freedom and turn his life around.
When you’re accused of a crime or a probation violation stemming from drug abuse or mental health issues, having the right defense team in your corner can mean the difference between going to prison and going home. Attorney Sydne French has a background in clinical psychology that allows her to bring a unique approach to winning cases for her clients.
This is the story of one of her clients, named Karl.
When Sydne met Karl, he was in jail on a probation hold or VOP (violation of probation or parole). He was facing 5 years in prison for allegedly violating several rules of his extended supervision in Wisconsin due to his recent drug activities.
This was not the first time Karl had been in trouble like this. Nor was it the first time he had been revoked and sent back to prison. Every time this happened, it was because of drugs. When Karl would start using again, it would always end the same way, with Karl getting in trouble with the law and eventually getting revoked.
The first few times Karl did this while on supervision, he was given an opportunity to get an ATR that almost always involved completing a treatment program aimed at correcting Karl’s drug abuse. Karl Had all the usual treatments but he just kept getting into trouble. After a while, Karl had done it all: AODA programs, cognitive behavioral programs, and dozens of other standard treatment programs.
It was not always this way for Karl. Karl would go through periods where he would do very well. He managed to remain sober, he stayed away from drugs and alcohol, and he held a steady job.  Â
What no one seemed to understand or even realize at the time (including Karl), was that Karl was struggling with an undiagnosed mental health condition that would come in waves and rob Karl of his ability to maintain a stable and responsible lifestyle. Whenever this happened, Karl would start using drugs and alcohol again, which would eventually lead to Karl losing his job again. Karl would fail to follow through on things, keep appointments, follow the rules.
Every time this would happen, it would completely derail any hope Karl had of getting (and keeping) a higher paying job, so he could provide his kids with a bigger place in a better neighborhood to live in.
Now, with the most recent VOP hold, Karl’s mother reached out to Attorney French for help. After interviewing Karl at length, Sydne noticed a pattern in Karl’s behavior that was very telling. She saw that Karl would remain sober and stable for about 18 months or so. After that, he would start to unravel over a period of about 5 or 6 weeks or so and rapidly cycle between high and low mood states.
Karl explained to Sydne what it was like for him during those times. He said that during the day, he would go from feeling like he could walk through a brick wall, but then later experience overwhelming depression and grief. He said he would sometimes even have suicidal thoughts while driving, like thinking about driving off the road, or driving head-on into oncoming traffic. He never acted on those feelings, mainly because he didn’t want to hurt other people or cause his kids any pain or grief.
Karl told Sydne that he would start using drugs to help level out the highs and lows, so that he could just “feel normal again.” He understands the consequences of his actions, but he feels powerless to change things or to stop it from getting worse. This causes Karl significant distress. He wants more than anything to be a reliable and positive role model for his kids, but he just cannot seem to hold onto it for very long.
Sydne recognized that Karl was in serious trouble, not because he was a bad person, but rather because of his significant and untreated mental health problems. She explained to Karl how mental health disorders can actually drive the substance abuse or addiction.
Ultimately, Sydne arranged for Karl to get a diagnostic evaluation while in jail. As it turns out, the culprit causing Karl’s problem was what she had expected all along. The doctor diagnosed Karl with Bipolar-I, with rapid cycling.
Sydne knew that Karl needed treatment with the right kind of medication to control and stabilize his Bipolar symptoms. She also knew he would need to treat his substance abuse simultaneously. This was very important and Sydne recognized that Karl had not received the right kind of treatment before for these two co-occurring problems. What Karl needed now was dual diagnosis treatment.
Sydne’s goal was to prove that all Karl needed was the right kind of treatment to break the cycle, not more punishment. More importantly, she wanted to prove to Karl that with the right kind of support and treatment, he could finally achieve what he wanted the most in life, to become the kind of person his kids would look up to and admire.
To do this, Sydne devised a comprehensive treatment plan with an initial phase of treatment in a qualified, dual diagnosis treatment program that would treat Karl’s newly diagnosed Bipolar Disorder AND his substance abuse at the same time. Sydne made all the arrangements for Karl to be screened and admitted into the program directly upon his release from jail.
This was an important first step in the right direction for Karl, but Sydne knew this alone was not enough to ensure real and lasting change or sobriety for him. She knew that when Karl got out of the clinic, he would have to deal with the same stress factors and triggers that had set off his bipolar and substance abuse in the past. So Sydne made sure the program she chose also had strong aftercare components in place so that Karl had a better chance of maintaining his sobriety after this initial phase of treatment.
Sydne wrote a very detailed ATR proposal and sent it to Karl’s probation agent and supervisor. All three discussed the details of the treatment plan and the next day, Karl’s agent canceled the revocation hearing.
Karl was released soon after to begin the next phase of his journey, toward freedom from a life behind bars.
Sydne French is an award winning, criminal defense attorney with experience in clinical and research psychology administering diagnostic evaluations at one of the most rigorous clinical psychology programs in the country, UC Berkeley. She is known by judges, prosecutors, and probation agents for her persuasive ATRs and passionate defense of individuals struggling with mental health and/or substance abuse who are fighting for their freedom from a life behind bars.
Take the next step.
Schedule your free consultation with Sydne to find out how she may help you get back to your loved ones. Call 414-446-3544 or use the following form to email us.