“When I couldn’t get clean, you helped me get clean. When I couldn’t set boundaries, you set them for me. You guys believed in me when I couldn’t believe in myself. Now I can see where my experience, strength and hope helps others who struggle become who they are meant to be.” — Drug court graduate
NEW PHILADELPHIA Graduates of the county's two drug courts expressed their appreciation recently to the judges who forced them to get clean.
The comments came in observance of May as National Drug Court Month, as the judges who preside over the certified and specialized dockets said they are raising awareness that every life is worth saving.
Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos of the Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas and Judge Nanette DeGarmo VonAllman of the New Philadelphia Municipal Court have joined to celebrate the victories of recovery.
Common Pleas conducts a specialized court known as COBRA (Changing Offender Behavior through Rehabilitation and Accountability). The program began in 2005 and was among the state’s first certified specialized dockets in 2014. Thomakos also serves on the Commission on Specialized Dockets with the Supreme Court of Ohio.
VonAllman founded Recovery Court in 2015, which focuses on treatment for opiate-addicted offenders, including medication-assisted treatment. The New Philadelphia Municipal Court Recovery Court became a certified specialized docket in the same year.
VonAllman sees the human cost to the families and children of addicts daily.
“The New Philadelphia Municipal Recovery Court offers people the means and opportunity to change: first by clearing their brains of addictive chemicals and then by doing the necessary work to stay clean,” she said. “Addicts hate what they have become. We try to give them and their families hope: that treatment works and people do recover.”
Thomakos presided over a graduation ceremony to begin the month of celebration. COBRA Court held its 125th ceremony, marking the completion of an intensive program of comprehensive substance use disorder treatment, close supervision and accountability. At graduation, the successful participant is encouraged to share about his or her experience with others.
On Wednesday, the graduate expressed her daily gratitude for the life-changing opportunity to participate in COBRA Court. She emphasized the importance of structure and hope.
“When I couldn’t get clean, you helped me get clean," she said. "When I couldn’t set boundaries, you set them for me. You guys believed in me when I couldn’t believe in myself. Now I can see where my experience, strength and hope helps others who struggle become who they are meant to be.”
Two weeks ago, a graduating participant described the motivation he found within himself.
“I don’t think you can force anyone to rehab; it is not going to sink in unless they are ready," he said. "They have to be ready to do it. That’s all there is to it. I am living proof of that.”
The graduate, who had a long history in the criminal justice system, added, “I have been through every program in this county over the last 20 years and it was all faking it to make it because I wasn’t ready to do it.”
The graduate shared that his life has completely turned around; he has repaired family relationships, obtained a great job, and embraced a clean and sober lifestyle.
Likewise, the 125th graduate recognized repaired relationships as the most important benefit of recovery.
“My daughter has her mamma back. A healthy mom, hard-working, motivated, goal-oriented mom, who smiles again and is grateful in all she does. Because of what you have done for me, I can now do for her, and be consistent. By this program shaping my future, it has also shaped hers. And that is everything to me.”
To raise awareness and commemorate National Drug Court Month, proclamations were made by the Tuscarawas County commissioners, the city of Dover, and the city of New Philadelphia acknowledging the essential work of the drug courts. Banners with the theme “Join the Fight. Treatment Works. People Recover.” will hang in the New Philadelphia and Dover town squares.
National Drug Court Month is coordinated by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP). This year, treatment courts throughout the nation are advocating to ensure continued federal and state funding for these effective, evidence-based programs.
"These uplifting graduation ceremonies evidence the tremendous impact the treatment courts have on our community and will send a powerful message that these programs reduce addiction, crime and recidivism while saving lives, families and valuable resources for our state," said Elizabeth Stephenson, common pleas court administrator.
According to the NADCP, treatment courts are this nation’s most effective strategy to reduce drug use and recidivism among substance-addicted, nonviolent offenders with criminal histories. Nationally, these courts save up to $13,000 for every individual they serve and return as much as $27 for every $1 invested.
There are more than 3,000 treatment courts in the United States annually serving 150,000 people, according to Stephenson. Since 1989, treatment courts have saved more than 1.5 million lives and billions of tax dollars. In Ohio, there are currently 244 certified specialized dockets, of which 102 are drug courts.
“Treatment courts are a proven budget solution that stops the revolving door of arrest and incarceration for people with substance use and mental health disorders,” said NADCP CEO Carson Fox. "They prove that justice is sometimes best served by connecting people to treatment and resources to help them turn their lives around. Treatment courts save lives and resources and must be expanded to meet the growing need.”
Research continues to show that treatment courts work better than jail or prison, better than probation, and better than treatment alone. More information about treatment court research is available at AllRise.org.