(Cleveland) –The 77th graduation ceremony of the Judge Larry A. Jones Drug Court, under the direction of Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Lauren C. Moore will take place not in a courtroom, but at Edgewater Beach on Monday, June 10, 2024 and for the fourth year in a row, the participants will be engaging in a half hour yoga session before graduating.
Contact: Ed Ferenc, Public Information Officer
Cleveland Municipal Court
216 664 6787 / 216 789 2597
ference@cmcoh.org www.cmcoh.org
(Cleveland) –The 77th graduation ceremony of the Judge Larry A. Jones Drug Court, under the direction of Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Lauren C. Moore will take place not in a courtroom, but at Edgewater Beach at 11:00 am on Monday, June 10, 2024 and for the fourth year in a row, the participants will be engaging in a half hour yoga session before graduating.
With 13 graduates, the total number of people who have successfully completed the program since it began in 1998 will be 1,939.
“This program has demonstrated over and over again, it not only saves lives, but it also reunites families and we’ll all witness that on Monday” said Judge Moore.
Among the grads is Maria Perez, who during the course of the program re-established her relationship with her children and now enjoys doing recovery activities. Jessica Nighswonger is now sober and as a result, she has custody of her child.
The Drug Court team added the outside yoga component in 2021 when the pandemic was still in effect. Last year was the first year it turned it into a graduation ceremony.
“Yoga is all about practicing physical and mental well-being which is a great component to those struggling with addiction,” said Judge Moore.
Participants in the Judge Larry A. Jones Drug Court generally spend 12 to 20 months in the program. Longer cases may occur due to the fact that opiate addicts generally need more treatment time. This year, four of the graduates entered the program with felonies, while the others were charged with lesser offenses.
On October 26, 2022, the Greater Cleveland Drug Court was renamed the Judge Larry A. Jones Drug Court in honor of its founder and former Cleveland Municipal Court judge. Specialized dockets like the Judge Larry A. Jones Drug Court are dedicated to handling offenses related to substance abuse, and use a combination of techniques for holding the offenders accountable while also addressing the underlying causes of their behavior.