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Graduating From Court to a New Life
Whitney Jackson says she received the help and support she needed from Judge Neil Edward Axel's court to break from her troubled past.
(Photos By Toni L. Sandys -- The Washington Post)
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"I thanked him for believing in her," she said.
The court requires the cooperation of a variety of county agencies, including the police and health departments, the state's attorney's office and the public defender's office. Before each regular court session, a team -- including the judge, lawyers, addiction experts and case managers -- meets to review each case.
"With our backgrounds, we are all bringing something," explained court coordinator Bobbie Fine, a lawyer and former teacher. "Each participant gets a fair shake."
Relapse can often be part of recovery, Fine said, and if a participant falters, he or she is often given a stepped-up regimen of treatment and monitoring. The Wednesday court hearings are filled with encouragement, small gifts, hugs and applause. Lasting friendships are formed, with former graduates returning for special gatherings, such as last week's graduation.
Howard's drug court started in late 2004, with the DUI component added in June 2005. So far, 27 people, or a third of the participants, have successfully graduated. The rest, who dropped out or relapsed repeatedly, faced sentencing for the crime that originally brought them to the court.
But even those who fail may have taken a big step toward future sobriety, advocates of the program say. The county's new health officer, Peter L. Beilenson, spoke during the graduation, saying he had been impressed by Baltimore's drug court program, which he worked with as the city's health commissioner.
"Eighty percent of incarcerees statewide have a substance abuse problem," Beilenson said. "Do they get treatment in prison? Not much."
The cost of a year of prison is $25,000, he said.
This court gives people a second chance for less than half that price, Fine said.
Asked Beilenson: "Doesn't it make sense to do something like this?"
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