Freedom On More Fronts

Arternative To Incarceration

This is the best news that offenders who are drug addicts have had in a very long time. For those who truly intend to turn their life around and leave the drugs behind, there is nothing more heartbreaking than having a record that can not be as easily disposed of as a habit. In fact, the hopelessness that an indelible record can present can trigger relapse.

Now Marengo county has given good reason to leave the heroin, Oxycontin, cocaine or whatever other drugs of abuse their drug treatment program graduates were using. They now truly have a chance for a new life.

Well done Marengo County!

“LINDEN — The 17th Judicial Circuit Drug Court held its first graduation ceremony at the Marengo County Courthouse on Friday.
Six people completed the course, designed to help those who have been arrested on drug charges shake their addiction to drugs. Gabe Buckalew, Andy Cannon, Jamar Jordan, Johnny Ormond, Terrell Powell and Brandy Slocum each got new leases on life through their own need to change and the help the program provides.
“The focus of the program is for these people to graduate drug-free and to give them a second chance,” said program administrator and district attorney Greg Griggers. “All of these people were charged with felonies on the front end, and they all leave here without those felonies. Hopefully, they won’t return to the court system, and the added advantage is that they have the tools to fight drug addiction. It’s a win-win: It’s a win for the community that they are no longer coming back into the court system, and it’s a win for them because they are leaving here drug-free.”
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