DRUG COURT GRADUATES FIRST 3

Albany County's first grads encourage other participants

The first three people to complete Albany County's new drug court
program, which offers drug-addicted defendants a chance to work toward
recovery as an alternative to jail, were congratulated with a
graduation ceremony at the county courthouse.

After accepting their diplomas, the graduates offered words of
encouragement for some of the 33 other current drug court participants
who were on hand for the ceremony and their own scheduled appearances
before City Court Judge Stephen Herrick Thursday afternoon.

"If I can do it, y'all can do it," said Katrina Earle, 31, a mother of
three. "There's life beyond the streets."

Sean Walsh, 31, and Anthony Wall, 28, said they found the months of
treatment difficult but well worth the effort, even as they look ahead
to more challenges in their lives.

"My life ain't what I want it to be, but it's a whole lot better than
it used to be," Wall said. "Yes, I'm going through problems right now,
but I'm not using -- that's the big thing. I'm not using."

Albany County's drug court began operation in January 2000, and
Herrick, who presided at the graduation held in County Judge Thomas
Breslin's courtroom, admitted to having more than a few reservations
at the start.

"At that time, I was a total skeptic," he said. "I really thought drug
court would be a total ripoff of taxpayer money."

Since then, Herrick said, his opinion has undergone a total
turn-around -- though he said the judges and administrators running
the local program have had to learn much in their own efforts to make
the program successful.

"We know we made mistakes along the way," he said. "These three
graduates were not the first who came into drug court. We've lost some
along the way."

In Albany's version of drug court, participants plead guilty and
sentencing is deferred until a participant graduates or is removed.
Successful completion earns the participant probation for a felony and
a conditional discharge for a misdemeanor.

The program includes enrollment in treatment programs, counseling,
regular drug tests and judicial supervision.

Albany County and Rensselaer County are the two Capital Region
municipalities now operating drug courts. The first such court aimed
at diverting petty criminals into treatment instead of jail began in
Miami in 1989, and there now are as many as 600 around the country,
including 30 in New York, according to Albany County officials.

New York Chief Judge Judith Kaye has announced plans to extend drug
court to every family court and criminal court in the state, expanding
the number of participants from approximately 3,000 to 10,000.