DRUG PROGRAM A LIFE-SAVER FOR MANY

Judges, Prosecutors And Drug Offenders Celebrate A 10th Anniversary

BRUNSWICK - When Bonnie Sayre received an invitation to attend the
10th anniversary celebration for the Glynn/Camden Drug Court she
immediately knew her answer.

Despite living in Omaha, Neb., Sayre immediately booked a flight so
she could attend the event in the College of Coastal Georgia
auditorium. Monday, she was in a packed auditorium among judges,
prosecutors, elected officials and drug offenders in the program.

As one of the program's early graduates, Sayre said she wanted to be
part of the celebration she credits with giving her back her life.

She was arrested nearly a decade ago in Camden County after a deputy
saw her car weaving. The deputy who searched her car found crack
cocaine and drug paraphernalia, she said.

Like most people in the program, Sayre resisted at first, claiming
she wasn't an addict. But as she spent time in the two-year program,
her defiant attitude changed. She now looks at her graduation as a
life changer and possibly a life saver.

"I'm proud of what I've done [graduate]," she said. "It taught me well."

Sayre and dozens of other graduates from the program attended the
ceremony to mark the anniversary and welcome eight new graduates.
With Monday's graduates, 390 people have now completed the program.

"It's unbelievable it's been that long," Superior Court Judge Amanda
Williams said.

Williams, who helped create the program, said it's difficult to
balance the needs of justice and those of the people in her courtroom
with substance abuse problems.

Camden County Commissioner Katherine Zell attended the ceremony and
said Drug Court helps reduce crime and gives graduates a chance to
live clean, sober lives.

"Incarceration does not solve the problem of substance abuse," said
Zell, a retired nursing instructor at the college.

Coretha Myles, a nurse and counselor in the program, said a decade
ago Williams was a "rarity" for wanting to order treatment instead of
jail for drug offenders.

"Her goal was to get sick people treatment," Myles said.

The program is now a model that attracts recognition from across the
nation because 95 percent of the graduates remain arrest-free three
years after they leave the program.

The new graduates spoke about their struggles with addiction and
their loss of jobs, families and self esteem. They thanked Williams
and the counselors for helping them understand their addiction and
how to cope with the temptations of drugs and alcohol.

Williams said Drug Court proves the value of rehabilitating addicts
but she worries the state's budget woes could impact its existence.
The state provides about 50 percent of the funding, she said.

"If the funds get cut, we couldn't do the program," she said. "If we
lost our mental health funding, we're in trouble. It would be
fiscally irresponsible to do it."

Williams said she would have no choice but to disband the court, even
with the success stories from graduates - many who admit they would
still be using drugs, be in jail or dead.

"I'd have to put people on the street and tell them not to use," she said.