Dozens gathered in the community space of Moore Counseling and Mediation Services Monday afternoon to celebrate the hard work and progress of the latest class of graduates from the Larry A. Jones Recovery Court.
This marks the 82nd class of graduates from Cleveland Municipal Court’s Judge Larry A. Jones Recovery Court since the program began in 1998.
Dozens gathered in the community space of Moore Counseling and Mediation Services Monday afternoon, May 18, 2026 to celebrate the hard work and progress of the latest class of graduates from the Larry A. Jones Recovery Court.
Twelve people graduated from the specialized docket after dedicating at least 18 months to regular meetings, treatment, counseling and screenings. Their goal is to continue working on their sobriety while building skills and developing tools to move beyond involvement in the judicial system.
“When I first started, it was I didn't want to go to prison. And that's the route I was going,” new graduate Christopher Wilke said. “Once I got in here and started going through the curriculum and going through steps and hearing other people's stories, something just clicked… It made me want to like, ‘okay, man, you could really do it now, address it now, quit running.’” Wilke said.
This is a day of celebration for Wilke, but also a day of determination. When he started, there was no looking toward the future. He was living day-to-day. Wilke was struggling with addiction, but participation in this specialized docket made him realize the program was more than just an opportunity to get sober.
“If you take this program seriously and really sit down and work on yourself, the drugs are just a symptom of the problem in my eyes,” Wilke said. They’re the cover up. They’re a mask. They are your escape from issues that you probably should have addressed before.”
Wilke says he owes this perspective to Judge Michelle Earley, who has been heading up the recovery court docket since early 2025, and program coordinator Emily Gibbs.
“To me, people get high because they go through a lot of pain and trauma, and they don't address those issues, and that's why they go to the drugs,” Wilke said.
He is working through the pain and trauma that led to his addiction thanks to the many resources made available through the program. He has found constant care from the people who stood by him throughout this two-year process. Counselors, treatment coordinators, probation officers and fellow participants have given him a stable support system based on accountability.
“They help you provide with everything, the necessities so that you can really sit down and focus on yourself and work on yourself,” Wilke said. “Everybody is going to help you in every way and make it feel like you're not alone.”
Judge Earley along with other municipal court judges from across Cuyahoga County gave words of wisdom. Some of the judges were the same ones who referred the now graduates to the docket about two years ago. They wanted to make sure to be there and honor the work these individuals put in to create a new future for themselves.
“Someone once told me, be comfortable being uncomfortable,” Wilke said.
While he used to run from his problems, he says now he faces them head on, thanks to the change in perspective and clarity through sobriety that the Judge Larry A. Jones Recovery Court program and all its staff provided.