Pubdate: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 Source: Montgomery Advertiser (AL) Copyright: 2002sThe Advertiser Co. Contact: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1088 Author: Todd Kleffman, Montgomery Advertiser Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts) DRUG COURT THE ANTIDOTE FOR A LIFE WITHOUT DIRECTION By his own account, Takeo Jackson of Montgomery was "headed down a dead-end road." His life was on idle, rolling slowly downhill. At 23, he had never even bothered to get a driver's license. He worked the occasional job to put some cash in his pocket, but mostly he was hanging with his homeboys, getting high. He had fathered four children, but was mostly missing in action as a dad. "I had too much free time," Jackson said. All of that changed in 1999, after Jackson got busted for marijuana possession. He was carrying only 1.6 grams -- "that's just usage, not dealing," he said -- but it was his second pot bust, and it threatened to mark him as a felon. "That felony stops you from doing a lot of things. You can't vote. You can't own a gun. You don't want that 'X' on your back," said Jackson, now 25. Thus motivated, Jackson entered Montgomery County's Drug Court program, which allows drug offenders to keep their records clean if they can complete a rigorous, closely monitored one-year regimen heavy on testing, treatment and personal responsibility. Pride And Discipline Jackson said the program's first phase, which requires drug-testing and counseling three times a week, was demanding, especially for a man unaccustomed to being punctual for anything. "If you showed up five seconds late, they'd turn you away and you had to see the judge," he said. "After I got used to that, it wasn't that hard." Along with being on time for all appointments, Drug Court requires participants to obtain a driver's license and a full-time job, steps Jackson realized were needed if he was going to get his life off the blocks. An outgoing, often-smiling young man, Jackson applied for a job and was quickly hired at Harbin's-Stern Brothers to assemble and deliver office furniture. His new status as a 40-hour-a-week man boosted his pride. "The first time my kids saw me in my uniform, they said, 'Look at Daddy. Daddy got a uniform,' " Jackson recalled. "That made me feel great." Budding Entrepreneur? Mike Behrman, co-owner of Harbin's, said Jackson has been a model employee for his 16 months on the job. He's been on time, missed only a few days and established good rapport with customers, Behrman said. "We've hired several people who have been afoul of the law -- everyone makes mistakes -- and some of them have worked out and some haven't," he said. "Takeo has panned out fantastic. I've had customers call to say how polite he is." Completing Drug Court has instilled Jackson with new confidence. He said he no longer hangs with his old buddies and devotes more time to his family. He's also "thinking real hard on going to college," with an eye toward running his own business someday. More than anything, Jackson credits Drug Court with forcing him to re-examine his life. Early on, a counselor asked him what he planned to be doing in five years. Jackson didn't have an answer, but decided then that he had better start figuring one out. "That was a good question to ask me at that point. It helped me learn more about myself," he said. "It's going great now. I know I'm going to continue on. No turning back." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake