5 Cobb Men Celebrate Recovery, Graduate From Drug Treatment Court Program

COBB COUNTY, GA — Five Cobb County men are celebrating sobriety, recovery and growth after they graduated from the county's Drug Treatment Court on Monday.

The intensive program, designed for criminal offenders who are generally nonviolent, lasts a minimum of two years and aims to treat underlying addictions, reduce incarceration costs and "return him or her to a productive member of society."

More than 650 people have graduated from Cobb's Drug Treatment Court since the program began.

“You persevered and kept going,” Cobb Judge Mary Staley Clark told the five graduates at the start of the celebration. “It takes enormous courage to do a program like this. You dug deeper into your mind, your heart, your soul.”

Joel, 42, was one of the graduates this week. He entered the program in December 2019 and has grown his business, gotten married and become a father during his time in the program.

“Life as I knew it has taken on a whole new meaning,” he said. “Drug Court provided me with the tools and resources, along with structure and accountability, to achieve and maintain a sober and happier life.”

A team including prosecution and defense attorneys, treatment counselors, probation officers, administrators and the presiding judge reviews each application for Drug Treatment Court and monitors admitted participants throughout, according to a news release. Punishment for violations can range from a night in jail to expulsion from the program.

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