For Judge William David Branstool, growing up on a family farm isn’t so different from dispensing justice or running a drug court.
Branstool, 57, was born and raised in northern Licking County near Utica, where his grandparents and parents were also rooted. Raised on his parent’s grain farm, surrounded by Hartford Fair livestock projects, Branstool’s days were filled with chores – from planting crops to caring for animals and harvesting in the fall. There was always something to do.
As a judge for 21 years, Branstool finds similarities between running a court and growing up on a farm, working amid the apples and peaches in his brother’s Branstool Orchards.
“You have to grow and nurture and work with what you have. And that’s kind of the same thing I do as a judge,” said Branstool. “Especially in the drug-court program, I try to help people grow and develop to get out of the cycle of addiction and recidivism.”
Branstool said he wouldn’t trade his upbringing for anything. It instilled in him the values of responsibility, hard work, and teamwork. These principles carried him through his career as a common pleas judge to today as the incumbent Democratic candidate running for re-election to this non-partisan role – one for which no party affiliation appears on the ballot.
“One of the things I do that other judges in this county don’t do is that I run the drug court. I developed two drug courts,” said Branstool. “And those programs take hard cases and try to provide offenders with the opportunity to rehabilitate themselves, to get sober, to stay off of drugs.”
Branstool brought the drug court program to the common pleas court in 2010 as an advocate for addressing repeat offenders.
Part of the reason the drug court exists is to concentrate resources and people with expertise in certain areas to help people succeed in overcoming substance use disorder, poverty, housing issues, and other events in the criminal justice system. The drug court assists individuals in getting their driver’s license, employment, and career and technical education needed to enter the workforce.
“People never grow up wanting to be a drug addict or wanting to be a prisoner,” said Branstool.
With 15 years of experience running the drug court, Branstool witnesses the mental health system under constant stress and strain. He believes the criminal justice system to be the biggest mental health facility in the country. Branstool said there is always a need for more mental health services along with addiction services.
“If you want to make everybody happy, you should never be a judge,” Branstool said, “because the decisions that you have to make sometimes are excruciating.”
Every day, Branstool makes critical decisions about who should be sent to prison, and this is not easy.
Branstool identifies as “tough on crime,” but noted that being tough requires one to “be smart about it.” Branstool said he relies on an array of tools in the toolbox – including implementing prison sentences, local incarceration, treatment requirements, or getting one’s education and vocational training.
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“Drug courts reduce recidivism. They reduce relapses. They get people the treatment that they need and hold them accountable to these very severe standards,” said Branstool. “Rather than just sending someone to prison.”
Even when it is evident that prison is the necessary outcome for an individual, Branstool is aware of the emotional toll on victims. As a father of four to Taylor, Samuel, Grace, and Brooklyn, and the husband to his wife, Terra, Branstool can’t help but think about the loved ones of the individuals he sentences.
“You feel the trauma that victims go through, and it’s like you have to have some sort of release or outlet,” said Branstool.
The outlet for Branstool to relieve stress is connecting with nature. As an avid bicyclist, hiker, triathlete, and marathon runner, Branstool sees these outdoor activities as therapeutic and necessary for his mental health.
“I’ve run races with my son. He’s big into physical exertion like that. We travel, sometimes around some sort of outdoor activity, you name it,” Branstool said.
Exercising and physical exertion are natural ways to release dopamine, he said. He not only embraces a healthy lifestyle by staying connected with nature in his personal life, but he also integrates this mindset into the drug court’s programs, which include activities such as walking, biking and yoga to keep people active.
Despite the intense emotional demands and heavy responsibilities of managing a drug court, Branstool is energized by the rewards that drive him forward.
“The highlights of the job are when we get to see a rewarding experience when someone can take control over their own life and get out of this cycle of poverty, addiction, violence, abuse in some situations, and restore relationships that they have,” Branstool said.
Donna Chang writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.