Drug Court Graduation Ceremony A 'Rebirth' For Participants

In 2005, when Little Egg Harbor resident Jamie Feliciano was told she met the criteria to participate in the Ocean County Drug Court program, she said she volunteered because it was a good alternative to spending time in jail.

Today, as she and 14 of her companions in the program graduated from the program, she said she owes the program coordinators her life.

"While in the program, I learned so much about my addiction, and about myself, and it just made me a better person overall," Feliciano said.

Carole L. Haines, who is the drug program coordinator said today's ceremony, held at the Ocean County Library in Toms River, was a way to show the program's participants that they are empowered and that they are surrounded by family and people who will support them as they take the next step.

Haines said the drug court program has been in Ocean County since April 2002, and noted that only 9% of the program's  graduates have been reconvicted since that time. State officials point to success rates like those as being the reason for expanding the statute that first created the program from a volunteer special probation to a mandatory one, effective this July.

Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato, who attended today's ceremony, acknowledged that changing the program from voluntary to mandatory will "put a stress on the program," but he the way he sees it, "if we're able to help even one person live drug free, then the program is successful."

Haines added, it's not always just about the person who is using drugs. She noted that 31 drug-free babies have been born to participants since April 1, 2002, and 25 children have been reunited with the parents after their parents successfully graduated from the program.

Coronato agreed, adding today's ceremony marked a "rebirth" for the graduates. He said he fully supports programs like these, because participants make a decision that they "want to wake up in the morning."

He said his recently-launched drug task force - which he said in its first 60 days has led to the seizure of $600,000, 45 cars, and the arrests of 75 people - is another approach to "stemming the tide" of drugs in Ocean County.

"This is a crisis, and I'm not going to be able to live with myself unless I make an attempt to stem the tide," Coronato said. "Programs like this are a wonderful example of what people can do when they set their minds to it and have  support."