Coming clean: Drug Court elevates seven graduates to sober futures
November 16, 2007
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Staff Photo: Luanne Dietz
Dr. Philip D. Schroeder of Grayson United Methodist Church speaks to the graduates and those in attendance Thursday evening during the Gwinnett County Drug Court Program Graduation about having courage to continue and the importance of a second chance.
By Josh Green
Staff Writer, Gwinnett Daily Post
LAWRENCEVILLE - It was a motley crew.A young mother. A bombastic party boy. Two aspiring rock stars. A former basketball player, a thankful immigrant and a teenage girl putting her tribulations behind her.But on Thursday night, the seven graduates of the Gwinnett County Drug Court each shared an optimism that had been clouded by addictions of various strains.“If I didn’t join Drug Court, I’d be dead,” said Julie, after tearfully accepting a diploma. Graduates’ last names are withheld to protect their identities. “I know I’m going to make it.”
The graduates - honored in front of an whooping auditorium audience - had each endured between 18 and 32 months of surprise searches, drug meetings and frequent urine tests. All were accused of nonviolent crimes involving alcohol or drugs.
And all had their charges dismissed as an added graduation perk.
“That is an awfully long time to really have your life under examination,” said Superior Court Judge Billy Ray, head of the Drug Court team. “Getting sober is not something you do on a solo flight. Drug Court is about giving people a chance.”
Sometimes dismissed as a too-gentle “hug-a-thug” solution, the program currently has 51 participants, Ray said. Its advocates said the program, modeled after 25 similar initiatives in Georgia, is more effective and personal than probation alone.
Started in January 2005, the local Drug Court has turned out 27 graduates. It gathers all sorts of enrollees, from waitresses to Gwinnett attorneys. To graduate, participants must be sober for at least six months.
Enrollees pay $200 in monthly fees, and the program doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime.
Another graduate, Marko, faced deportation if he slipped up in Drug Court.
“Thank you very much, Drug Court,” said Marko to the crowd. “You pretty much saved my life.”
One year after graduation, an offender is three times less likely to be arrested, and the likelihood of trouble only decreases from there, according to the Judicial Counsel of Georgia.
Dr. Phil Schroeder of the Grayson United Methodist Church, the evening’s keynote speaker, praised graduates for having the courage to overcome their demons.
“When you rebuild, you have to start by clearing away all the debris of the past,” Schroeder said. “Rebuilding takes courage.”
Four teenagers graduate Drug Court
November 7, 2007
BY ALAN RIQUELMY - ariquelmy@ledger-enquirer.com –
Donna Owen remembers the day her 17-year-old son was caught with drugs in his car. He was going to be the starting pitcher for his high school baseball team.
She held the hope that the telephone call from the principal telling her about the discovery was a mistake. She was wrong. That message changed her family’s life.
“He didn’t start pitching that day or any day,” she said, her words sometimes broken by emotion. “He got expelled.”
Some eight months after that day, her son and three others wore caps and gowns as they sat at the front of the assembly at the Columbus Government Center that had gathered on Tuesday in celebration of their successful completion of Drug Court. It’s a ceremony that occurs every three months in Columbus and across the country at countless drug courts.
“It’s to honor their hard work and success,” said Mary Bode, director of Drug Court. “There should be a formal ceremony.”
Juveniles who qualify for Drug Court enter a program that can last up to a year. They attend bi-weekly status hearings before a Juvenile Court judge, treatment and after-care proceedings. Upon successful completion of the program, their charges are dismissed and they can apply to have their record expunged.
Since its inception in October 2000, 201 juveniles have graduated the program in Muscogee County.
“They’re starting with a clean slate,” Bode said. “It’s huge.”
Crystal Wilson, parent of a girl who went through Drug Court a few years ago, encouraged the graduates to take advantage of that clean slate. She said it’s often easy to fall back into old patterns and associate with old friends not healthy for a drug-free life. Instead, she said the graduates shouldn’t be afraid to get outside their comfort zones and wait until they meet people who will be good friends.
“Your past does not determine your present or your future,” Wilson said. “You can make choices today that will affect who you want to be.”
Mayor Jim Wetherington referred to his days as the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Corrections, saying he watched inmates go through the revolving doors of the justice system over and over. He commended the graduates for avoiding that cycle and taking control of their lives.
“We all make mistakes in life,” Wetherington said. “It takes a special person, it takes a caring family to get that person where he needs to be.”
For Owen, it also takes Drug Court.
“I am very proud to be standing here,” she said.
