Contact:  Ed "Flash" Ferenc, Public information Officer
              Cleveland Municipal Court                   
              216-664-6787   216-857-7420
              ference@cmcoh.org

(Cleveland) – The 42nd Graduation Ceremony of the Greater Cleveland Drug Court under the direction of Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Anita Laster Mays and Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge David Matia will take place Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 at 4:30 p.m. at the Cuyahoga County Jury Assembly Room located on the 4th floor of the Justice Center.

A total of 42 people will graduate, 20 from the county program and 22 with the city, which brings the total number of people who successfully completed the program to 1,295 since it began 15 years ago.  Of that number, almost 80% remain sober and drug-free.

The keynote speaker is Orlando Howard, clinical manager and quality improvement specialist for St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, which houses Rosary Hall on its campus near downtown Cleveland.

“Those who suffer from the disease of addiction find challenges at every turn, which can and often does includes the criminal justice system. The ability to access help when you need it is a critical issue for our community. For more than 60 years, Rosary Hall has been a beacon of hope for all individuals who wish to break free from the chains of addiction, and for many of them, this also means breaking free from the criminal justice system”.
Howard, who has spent the last 20 years in the alcohol, drug addiction and mental health field, compares addiction to being benched in a football game for having too many penalties.
“Sooner or later you learn your lesson and want to get back in the game.  It’s our job at Rosary Hall to put them back in the game.”

The Drug Court Program is a sanction-based year-long program that emphasizes treatment and accountability.  Should a participant fail a drug test, or is otherwise non-compliant, a sanction is imposed.  The Greater Cleveland Drug Court was created in l998 under the direction of the Honorable Larry A. Jones and taken over in 2009 by Judge Mays.  The Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court became a partner in the program later that year.