State’s Largest Drug Court Graduation Takes Place in Middle Township PAC

COURT HOUSE – Brian got chills from admitting he had been “clean” for five and a half years.
Twenty years ago, he was homeless and addicted to drugs on the streets of Philadelphia. 
Now a Cape May County resident and graduate of the Drug Court program, he owns two businesses and employs graduates like himself.
“(Graduating) is the most important thing in my life,” he said. “I could never repay (the court) for what they did for me.”
Brian was one of 89 former drug addicts from Cape May and Atlantic counties to graduate from the 16th class of the Atlantic/Cape May Vicinage Drug Court program on June 8. 
The ceremony at the Middle Township Performing Arts Center was the largest Drug Court graduation in New Jersey history.
Most graduates of the program earn expunged criminal records, meaning their records are clean, thanks to the enactment of a new law.
“This is truly a second chance,” Drug Court Judge Mark Sandson said.
Admittance to Drug Court can be either voluntary or mandatory. The program’s four phases involve treatment, support group meetings, developing a network of recovery, and probationary supervision, according to Drug Court Coordinator Rebecca Super. The program started in 2004.
“New Jersey’s drug courts are about recovery through treatment, not punishment,” Sandson said.
After three to five years of supervision and drug testing, graduates become employed taxpaying citizens.
“They are now prepared to rejoin society and succeed in life,” Sandson declared.
Over 60,000 people die of drug overdoses every year in the U.S., according to Assignment Judge Julio Mendez. Half of all prison inmates are clinically addicted, he said.
“(Drug Court) saves lives,” Mendez said. “It makes communities safer. It restores dignity to the participants.”
In a prerecorded video, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) thanked the judges for their work in the program before celebrating the community that supported the growth of their addicted neighbors.
“Love demands that we recognize that everyone has worth,” he said. “If one of us stumbles and falls, all of us are at a loss.
“We are not simply the worst thing we’ve done,” he said.
Booker explained that some of the strongest people in his city (Newark) were former addicts, and their empathy for others’ struggles led them to be “agents of change.”
The judges presented the Drug Court Community Partnership Award to ShopRite for its commitment to hiring program graduates. Rio Grande ShopRite Manager Steve VanSeeters accepted the award.
Sandson noted that many companies would not hire people who had been convicted of crimes. He felt ShopRite deserved to be recognized after several program participants told him they worked for the grocery chain during graduation interviews.
“They hire someone based on the content of their character, not based upon the content of their criminal record,” he said.
Graduates were each called up by name and given certificates. Participants in phase four, the final phase of Drug Court, were also named. They are expected to graduate next year.
“I’m a changed man because of this program,” said Johnny, a graduate.
After graduate Dena had missed her daughter’s third birthday due to rehab, she swore she would never miss another.
“I’ve learned not to give up when things get hard,” she said before advising other addicts to embrace the future, not fear it.
Cape May County Prosecutor Robert Taylor reminded graduates not to lose hope if they lapse.
“We’re here to help you,” he said. “We’re not going to be out there trying to arrest you; we’re going to be out there trying to help you. If you need help, please give us a call.”
Keynote speaker Joe Jingoli, the owner of a construction firm, has been active in the “recovery community” for decades. Over the years, he has seen many addicts who started out thinking they couldn’t change, but who ended up successful and happy, he said.
“Some of you don’t believe you can change or deserve a better life,” he said. “Everyone in this room thinks you do. Even if you don’t think you can change, I know you can.”
Sixty-two-year-old Claude fought addiction for four decades before his graduation.
“Now, I want to live,” he said.