Pubdate: Fri, 15 Jul 2011
Source: Daily Tribune, The (Royal Oak, MI)
Copyright: 2011 The Daily Tribune
Contact:  http://www.dailytribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1579
Author: Debbie Potts
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts)

GRADUATES TELL STORIES OF HOW ADULT TREATMENT COURT CHANGED THEIR LIVES

Celebration Highlights Court's 100th Graduate.

PONTIAC - Most people don't enter the Oakland County Courthouse with 
smiles on their faces, but Wednesday was different.

The Oakland County Adult Treatment Court was celebrating its 100th 
graduate with a ceremony and reception.

The 100th graduate, Terrie Auger, started her abuse of substances at 
the age of 16 by using marijuana. As is most often the case with 
teenagers, she never dreamed her dabbling with marijuana would evolve 
into heroin addiction. More than 20 years and multiple crimes later, 
she was sitting in Oakland County Jail pending sentencing. She 
realized she needed the treatment court to hold her accountable.

She has been sober since Dec. 22, 2010 and now holds a full-time job, 
which she noted is "the first one I've had for longer than two weeks."

Each of the six graduates had stories similar to hers. One by one, 
they were called forward to hear comments by their probation officer 
and program supervisor. The program participants each spoke, many 
thanking the ATC, their family and God.

Judges Colleen O'Brien and Joan E. Young selected quotes for the 
graduates. O'Brien called on Abraham Lincoln: "The best thing about 
the future is that it comes one day at a time."

Four former ATC graduates were also honored, receiving Joshua Charles 
Short Scholarships of $1,000 each. Short was only 20 years old when 
he died of a drug overdose in 2008. His mother, Suzanne Okun, 
courageously recognized that she could not remain quiet about her 
son's death and decided to create a memorial scholarship to honor her 
son and support those who have overcome their own addictions and 
continue in their journey of recovery.

Okun told the audience the past three years since her son Joshua died 
"seems like a lifetime and seems like yesterday." She asked the 
graduates to think back to where they were three years ago. She said 
that it was never easy and smooth, but no one achieves success 
without loving support on the one hand, and someone who was willing 
to "put their foot down when enough was enough."

One of the scholarship recipients who graduated Oct. 22, 2008, said, 
"The program changed my life. It was tough; sometimes I wanted to 
quit, but they gave me the tough love I needed."

She will be using her scholarship to attend Baker College.

The treatment court has served 358 participants. The court is a 
four-phase intervention program for nonviolent felony offenders who 
find it difficult to maintain sobriety. Without acceptance into the 
program, these individuals would otherwise be facing a probable 
sentence of months, if not years, in jail or prison.

The program's key elements are extremely close judicial and community 
supervision, intense substance abuse treatment, frequent substance 
abuse testing and a long-term commitment to program requirements.

The court expects participants to find and maintain employment, 
consistently participate in treatment, pay court costs, including 
restitution to the victims of their crimes, and take responsibility 
for the support of their children.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom