Carroll County Times: Drug Treatment Court offers a second chance at life
With the mountain of data available regarding overdoses, drug addition and incarceration, sometimes it’s easy to forget about the real people behind the numbers.
On Wednesday, Carroll County Drug Treatment Court — a program that offers people with substance use disorders who have been convicted of other crimes an alternative to jail time or prison — held its 29th graduation. The five men and four women who saw it through needed an average time of 508 days to complete it and secure their second chance.
The Hon. Fred S. Hecker, who oversees drug treatment court, hosted the ceremony at Carroll Community College and shared graduates’ achievements. Mr. Hecker has previously told us it’s a difficult program to get through, with about half of those who enter failing to graduate.
“The purpose of the program is not to make them like it. We don’t care if they like it, they just have to invest themselves in it and work it,” he told us. “We are trying to change behavior. That is really what drug court is all about.”
Listening to Mr. Hecker talk about the grads, and hearing from them, it seems like the program is changing behavior.
While in drug court, which lasts a minimum of 13 months, participants must meet with a case manager weekly, attend court biweekly to talk to the judge about their progress or relapse, attend four self-help meetings per week, meet with a peer recovery support specialist, and undergo a minimum of two drug screenings a week, according to program manager Dena Black.
“What these folks have accomplished is really remarkable,” Mr. Hecker said during the ceremony at Carroll Community College.
Some of the graduates spoke during the ceremony, giving words of encouragement to others who may be suffering. “If I can do it, anybody can do it,” one said. “There is a light at the end of the tunnel,” said another.
Lindsey Staymates of Westminster was, in effect, the class valedictorian, not only graduating from drug treatment court, but receiving the highest recognition for doing so — the Hon. Michael M. Galloway Distinguished Graduate Award. She has been alcohol- and drug-free since March 8, 2018. Prior to that, she said she had struggled with addiction since age 13 and gone to jail before going into treatment. Since then, she has become the manager of a sober home and gotten a job as a behavioral health technician.
Graduate Robert Scheel said to Mr. Hecker: “I believe this is a lifesaving business that you’re in.”
It can be. The graduates have spent the last year-plus achieving sobriety and learning routines. They’ve earned their second chance. We look forward to seeing what they do with it.