May is National Drug Court Month, and the Drug Court of La Porte County was recognized by La Porte Mayor Blair Milo on May 22nd. Celebrating 25 years of service to the nation, drug courts everywhere have been holding events to celebrate the quarter-century of assisting those in need.
“I think the drug court has been a huge asset toward the fight against substance abuse in La Porte County,” said Mayor Blair Milo. “We’re seeing more and more drug courts across the state and, as we shared today, across the country they’re an important part of the whole problem solving aspect of substance abuse mitigation. There has to be an aspect that incorporates some rehabilitation into working with individuals who recognize that they made some poor choices and want to make better choices. It takes a support network from the judicial system as well as the community, employers, school officials, and other folks who are willing to work with those who say ‘I recognize that I’ve made some poor choices and I want to do better.’ I think that’s an important aspect of the fight against substance abuse, otherwise we will fill our jails with individuals who want to make better choices but don’t have the opportunity to. Drug courts are very helpful in reducing the recidivism rate and giving folks, more importantly, the opportunity to live fruitful, healthy, and enjoyable lives in this community.”
The Drug Court of La Porte will be joining other drug courts across the country with a special event to mark the occasion. On June 5th, they will be holding a clean-up at Dune Park so that those who participate within the Drug Court program can work together as a team to help the community, while also providing a cookout for those in attendance.
“May across the country is Drug Court Awareness Month,” said Judge Greta Friedman, “and drug courts across the nation are celebrating twenty-five years with special events. This program is hosting a clean-up at Dune Park. We will be distributing mulch, and a cookout will be held. It builds camaraderie, and it’s good, healthy stuff.”
In addition to the food and fun of the event, the clean up will also count as a service project for some of those who are going through the court’s program. Making the program an encouragement for the participants is an important part of the work. As Milo noted during the proclamation, the court has seen a marked improvement in substance abuse treatment outcomes and a reduction of recidivism, among many other achievements.
“We’ve all made poor decisions at some point in our lives,” said Milo. “I’ve certainly appreciated the folks who have reached out to help and support me when I’ve realized that I’ve made a bad decision, and that they’ve helped me to make better decisions. Drug courts help do that from a judicial standpoint, and the community helps to do that by supporting the drug courts and a number of different efforts for rehabilitation. It also helps to get the message out from a preventative aspect as well. The more we can talk about what goes on in drug courts, and it is a tough program to have to go through, the more it can hopefully discourage folks from taking some of those bad steps in the first place. When one person rises out of drugs and crime, we all rise.”