DRUG COURT BUILDS NEW, SOBER LIVES BRICK BY BRICK

DAYTONA BEACH -- Whether they thought of their addictions as a
"Gorilla on the back," or a living nightmare, 22 graduates of the
Volusia County Drug Court shared what fighting off the grip of drugs
meant to them Tuesday as supporters watched.

The 36th graduation ceremony of the successful program -- celebrating
its 10th year -- packed the main theater at the News-Journal Center on
Beach Street with cheers of pride. Since July 1997, 411 people have
made it through the tough-love approach, which helps build
self-esteem.

Participants are required to pay $75 a month to offset costs, a
fraction of the cost to run a county jail cell.

"Man, 14 months ago, I would have been hiding under this thing,"
graduate William Hoyt said as he took the podium to accept his award:
a brick printed with his name on it. He thanked his counselors, and
Circuit Judge Joseph Will for being "fair and honest" with him.

Many were ecstatic. Some shy. All seemed to be having the time of
their lives as they shared their accomplishments that came along with
sobriety. The tougher the battle, the brighter the smile.

"I'm not going to tell anybody it's easy," said Shirley Robinson, 45,
who finished the program last year and now mentors others.

Law enforcers and defense attorneys alike say drug court is an
alternative to jail that works. But in an era of government funding
slashes, some active in the program said they always worry about
keeping that support.

The county has decided to discontinue another addiction treatment
program for sentenced inmates at the jail, citing its ineffectiveness
and impact on jail space, officials said.

"From what they're saying, if it's not economically feasible because
it's not working, then it's the correct decision," Public Defender Jim
Purdy said. "But drug court," he said, "has an extremely high
percentage of success."

Purdy first became aware of drug court when he was a prosecutor. At
the time, like Judge Will, he wasn't sure the concept would work.

"If somebody had dirty urine, my position was, you throw them in
jail," Purdy said. "Drug court flips that concept. It says, 'we're not
going to give up on you if you mess up.' "

Now, Purdy joins the judge as a believer. "We have a superb program,"
he said. "Worthy of praise."

To graduates, drug court means much more. Many said they would be dead
- -- or in prison -- if not for the help they got from a system they
expected was out to get them.

"Hi, I'm Jim, and I have a brick," James Abraham said when he was
handed his award. "I'll tell you, that brick took a long time to get."

He addressed about two dozen newcomers just getting started in drug
court, who were required to attend. "You can do it, as long as you
make this your No. 1 priority," Abraham said.

The brick awards symbolize building a new beginning for those who
completed the difficult four-phase program, Volusia County Councilman
Jack Hayman said. Retired Judge Edwin P.B. Sanders, who helped launch
the program here through a federal grant initiative, said participants
must face what drugs do.

Many said they were in drug court, with its sometimes thrice-weekly
mandatory drug tests and honesty-emphasizing approach, as long as
three years. Others found their way in 10 months. Judge Will, who has
run the court four years, said the program has retained more people
than it used to, and has added mental health treatment.

"Relapse is just part of treatment," he said. "It's better for a
person to fail while they're here."

Honesty is also key to success.

Pamela Knapp, 37, a mother of three from Holly Hill, said she had a
tough time at first. She was offered drug court after she tested
positive for cocaine while on probation for burglary. A deputy told
her about drug court on the way to jail, where she sat for 73 days.

"It's all about you," she said of sobriety, which helped her cope with
stresses that make addicted people blame others for their problems.
"I'm responsible," she said. "There's nobody to blame but yourself."

During the first phase of the program, participants meet for five
group sessions a week, and come to court once a week. The second step
includes group therapy and the start of paying fines and other
responsibilities. The third and fourth levels incorporate family
support, employment and the accumulation of "clean days."

By the end, the typical grad has accumulated 320 days without drugs or
alcohol.

Like Purdy, State Attorney John Tanner said he supports drug
court.

"For years, the criminal justice system tried to frighten and punish
drug users and addicts into obeying the law. It didn't work," Tanner
said. "Continuing to do the same thing, expecting a different result,
is the definition of insanity."

For him, the success rates are impressive. More than 75 percent of
graduates here have not been arrested for new crimes since the program
began. And 85 percent are not convicted of another crime.

"Drug court works in more cases than jail and prison did," he
said.

And success brings something to lose, a hard-won novelty after years
of losses for many former addicts.

Robinson now has a car, her own place, and a relationship with her
children and grandchildren.

"I wanted to stop using," the now stylish woman said. "I just didn't
know how."

By The Numbers

Graduates since 1997: 433

Graduation rate: 91 percent

Rate of those charged with another crime: 25 percent

Average cost per day: $16

Typical grad's sobriety: 320 days

Meets individually with counselor: 20 times

Group therapy sessions: 75

Appears before judge: 20 times