Greater Cleveland Drug Court Stages Its 65th Graduation Away from the Justice Center

Contact:  Ed Ferenc, Public Information Officer

(Cleveland) – The 65th Graduation Ceremony of the Greater Cleveland Drug Court, under the direction of Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Lauren C. Moore took place at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, June 17, 2020 at the Northern Ohio Recovery Association (NORA), located at 1400 East 55^th Street in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Honorable Michelle D. Earley, Administrative and Presiding Judge for the Cleveland Municipal Court took time from her docket to speak to the graduates reflecting how proud she was for what they accomplished.

“I had to come here to see the people who completed the Drug Court Program in the middle of a pandemic,” she said.

A total of 19 people graduated, bringing the total number of people who have successfully completed the program to 1,813 since it began in 1998.

The keynote speaker for the ceremony was Brenda Cole, who graduated from the Court’s program in February following a 40 year addiction to crack cocaine.

“My body was so full of drugs, I tested positive 12 times after I stopped using,” she said.

Brenda, now 63 and living in a sober house is thankful that the Greater Cleveland Drug Court Program became the vehicle to turn her life around.

“Judge Moore made me feel like recovery was my idea and it worked.  My advice to the new graduates—we are just one bad decision away from relapse and when that happens, everything you worked for is gone.”  

Due to the pandemic, all graduates wore face masks and no friends or family were able to attend the ceremony.

Participants in the Greater Cleveland Drug Court generally spend 12 to 20 months in the program. Longer cases may occur due to the fact that opiate addicts generally need more treatment time.  This year, four of the graduates entered the program with felonies, while the others were charged with lesser offenses.

Specialized dockets like the Greater Cleveland Drug Court are dedicated to handling offenses related to substance abuse, and use a combination of techniques for holding the offenders accountable while also addressing the underlying causes of their behavior.

There are more than 150 specialized dockets in Ohio. In 2014, this particular docket was certified by the Supreme Court of Ohio. The Drug Court Program began in the Cleveland Municipal Court in 1998 and has since expanded to other parts of Cuyahoga County.