The 48th Graduation Ceremony of the Greater Cleveland Drug Court, now under the direction of Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Lauren C. Moore, will take place Wednesday, February 11, 2015 at 4:30 p.m. in the Cuyahoga County Jury Assembly Room located on the fourth floor of the Justice Center.
Contact: Ed Ferenc, Public Information Officer
Cleveland Municipal Court
216 664 6787 / 216 789 2597
ference@cmcoh.org www.cmcoh.org
(Cleveland) – The 48th Graduation Ceremony of the
Greater Cleveland Drug Court, now under the direction of Cleveland Municipal Court
Judge Lauren C. Moore, will take place Wednesday, February 11, 2015 at 4:30 p.m. in the Cuyahoga County Jury Assembly Room located on the fourth floor of the Justice Center.
A total of 24 people will graduate, which brings the total number of people who successfully completed the program to 1,449 since it began almost 17 years ago. Of that number, almost 80% remain sober and drug-free. One of the 24 graduates is Amanda Gearhart. Learn more about Amanda's amazing story from Fox 8 Cleveland:
Woman Held Against Her Will in Drug House Accomplishes Major Milestone and from cleveland.com:
Cleveland Woman Held Captive in Drug House for Months Starts New Life.
This will be the first graduation ceremony for Judge Moore who took full control of the Drug Court docket at the beginning of the year, following the election of Judge Anita Laster Lays to the Eighth District Court of Appeals. Judge Mays was in charge of the Drug Court from 2009 to 2014, during which time the Supreme Court of Ohio recognized it as a certified specialized docket.
Specialized dockets are courts that are dedicated to specific types of offenses or offenders and use a combination of different techniques for holding offenders accountable while also addressing the underlying causes of their behavior. There are more than 150 specialized dockets in Ohio.
The keynote speaker for the ceremony will be Judge Anita Laster Mays, who worked as the Greater Cleveland Drug Court Judge from 2009 to the end of 2014.
“Over the past 6 years, I know that my efforts to curb substance abuse have been effective with saving lives and reuniting families. The participants have made me feel apart of their families. Every month I receive messages updating me on their sober anniversaries, employment opportunities and family progress. I thank God for allowing me to be an instrument of change,” said Judge Mays.
The Drug Court Program began in the Cleveland Municipal Court in 1998 and has since expanded throughout Cuyahoga County.