Eight Locals Graduate from 19th Circuit Court Drug Rehab
The 19th Circuit Drug Court in Jackson County gave some the choice between jail and a rehab program, and they choose a better life. Lamonte Harris was once facing hard time, but was given a choice: go to jail or plead guilty and enter a drug rehab center under county supervision. Now two years later, Harris wouldn’t recognize the man he used to be. Harris says, "The lifestyle that I had been living, drugs, streets, long nights, and everything, I didn’t know how to change all that and become what they wanted me to be."
The drug court program requires participants to pay all their fines, get a G.E.D., maintain a job while doing community service, and even have a library card with requirements to read one new book a month. Jessica Hall, a program graduate and keynote speaker, says, "It took a reality check from jail to make me realize I had to change. I had to change my ways, I had to change my thinking, I had to change the people I was around."
Many people with a drug related arrest could be facing jail time, but the 19th Circuit Drug Court is objecting to hard time and giving these individuals the option of a second chance. Judge Robert P. Krebs, 19th circuit court judge, says, "It’s a program that works. Are there slip ups? Yes. Some people go back to their life style, yes, but the majority stay out of trouble and become productive citizens.”
Many of the graduates say staying out of jail was their first incentive, but a new chance at life with friends and family is the true reward. Ashley Pounds, another program graduate, says, "If I can do it, I know that anyone can do it. It’s a much better life and I look forward to getting up every day now." The graduates look forward to sharing their message with anyone struggling with addiction. Harris closes, "Don’t be ashamed. Help is here. All you have to do is want it. It is here for you."
The eight graduates’ participation in drug court saved the state an estimated $337,000 in incarceration costs.
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