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Drug Court Graduates Credit Program with Second Chance at Life

Monroe County Hall of Justice
Monroe County Hall of Justice

The Monroe County Treatment Court Graduation is not a typical commencement ceremony. For one, it's in Courtroom 404 at the Monroe County Hall of Justice.

The graduates are not typical either. Take Mark Kaplin for example. He's in his fifties, and this long journey all began with a back injury.

"It started with just taking pain killers, and then opiate abuse over several years that led up to an arrest."

Instead of criminal action, the courts gave Kaplin a deal: If he got sober and got his life together, the charges against him would be dropped. This is the idea behind drug court, that non-violent offenders with dependency issues need treatment as opposed to imprisonment.

Kaplin says it changed his life. The details in his story are different from that of his peers, but they all arrive at the same result. The 48 graduates all say they credit this program with turning their lives around and giving them a fresh start.

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter was the commencement speaker for the event. As a supporter of the program, Slaughter says she plans to continue advocating for its federal funding. In her address, she offered words of advice for the graduates.

"The most important thing that I've learned in my life is that I need to be driven not by what I want to do, but from what I need to do for the people who count on me. It's not for yourselves that you do that, I know, it's for your families and your community."

This is the 51st class of drug treatment court graduates out of Monroe County. Also in attendance were Mental Health Court graduates, and DUI Court graduates.

Veronica Volk is a senior editor and producer for WXXI News.