“The whole goal is treat the disease and not punish the addict.”
Kent County District Judge Jeffrey Ohara says he typically has about 25 participants in his recovery court program.
“The whole group gets to know one another and when they do well there is a lot of clapping.”
Judge Ohara says the recovery court is in session twice a month. Each participant is interviewed and evaluated by the judge and his team.
“An addict will look you right in the eye and they will tell you i am doing good I’m not using. We test these people all the time because they lie that’s how we keep things honest.”
But if there is a relapse, the judge does not send the offender to jail.
“The old way is put them in jail for 30 days put them in jail for 6 months or a year the reality is when they come back out they are still an addict,"
Instead, the judge demands a written explanations from an offender, or a pair of Saturdays working at the county dump. And always combined with treatment.
“The cornerstone of our program is sobriety. The success we are having is remarkable.”
