Graduation honors success of 8 drug court participants

One of the men said his options were 'death, jail or an institution.'
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Of the eight people who graduated from Trumbull County Drug Court this month, Jacob Sperry thinks he may have been one of the toughest cases in the lot.
"I went back and used [drugs] numerous times," the 28-year-old Warren man said of his three years and one month in the drug offender diversion program, which is held every Tuesday in the courtroom of Judge Andrew Logan of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
Every time he went back to drugs, he would be sent back to jail. He successfully got his charges reduced to misdemeanors so he could stay in drug court rather than go to prison.
"I have two children, and I have my own business, so I had reasons to want to stay out of prison," he said. "It's been a rough ride. All of the guys will tell you," he said before the ceremony.
How program works
The program is billed as an 18-month to three-year program in which participants attend weekly sessions with drug court staff, such as lawyers and drug counselors. But because Sperry went back to using drugs so many times during his program, his stay was the longest of the eight.
Relapses add time to their drug court sentence, and participants have to be clean six months before they can graduate. Sperry was one of two participants who were on their last chance. Another relapse and they would have gone to prison, Judge Logan said.
Sperry said his life before drug court included lots of thefts -- or whatever was necessary to feed his drug habit.
After being in drug court a while, however, he began to see that he wouldn't get away with taking drugs anymore. He was repeatedly tested, and positive results meant going to jail. His options were "death, jail or an institution," he said.
Sperry said he wasn't the only participant who had a rocky time in the program. Some failed the program and went to prison to complete their sentence.
Success rate
Drug court administrator Darryl L. Rodgers said the program has produced about 80 graduates during six years out of about 120 who entered. Of the 80, about five have gone back to committing crimes, and two died from overdose, he said.
Rodgers said he thinks that ratio of graduates compared to dropouts is good, considering the high percentage of recidivism among substance abusers in general. And the trouble with substance abusers is they are responsible for a majority -- about 85 percent -- of all crime, he said.
Rodgers said drug court doesn't ensure substance abusers will quit entirely. "But what we stress is how to avoid criminal behavior once [a relapse] happens," he said, adding that it is "not always how you start. It's how you finish."
Observing journey
During the ceremony, Rodgers spoke to each graduate in fond terms, describing the personal journey of each. Also present were current drug court participants. Rodgers said those participants observe the graduation to see what lies ahead if they can make it through.
Dean Losch, 49, of Warren, who also graduated that day, said when he was sentenced to the program, he believed the program was a "brain-washing unit."
"Now that I know the truth of what it is, I know that it was what I needed," he said, adding that the day he was pulled over by police for drunken driving and hauled into court was an extremely important day in his life -- the start of his recovery.
He says one of the keys is that the drug court staff members "really put their heart into this. They want to see you succeed. When you first come into the program, they are hard on you, but they're on your side."
Court members
The court consists of Judge Logan, Assistant Trumbull County Prosecutor Stanley Elkins, Atty. Jeff Goodman from the public defender's office, Keith Evans and Brad McGregor of the adult probation office, George Jarbeck and Earl Roman of the substance abuse prevention and counseling agency Community Solutions, and Shauna Sparks from Northeast Ohio Community Alternative Program.
Judge Logan started drug court six years ago to combat the high rate of recidivism among substance offenders in the county. Though drug court started out with grant money, it is locally funded now, the judge said.
But the only cost is Rodgers' salary and a few office costs. Other costs are paid through insurance, grants and fees paid by the participants, he said.
Leaders' remarks
"We're happy with the way it's operating," Judge Logan said of the court. "We receive a lot of really good feedback from people going through the program."
He said recidivism among drug court participants is much lower than among those convicted in regular court.
The judge said the program accepts certain individuals -- no drug dealers and usually no first-time offenders. The program usually serves people who have had previous convictions because first-time offenders usually get probation, Judge Logan said.
Rodgers, a former Youngstown State University football player under Coach Jim Tressel, told his graduates their journey out of drug addiction is much like the challenges he faced as a linebacker from 1984 through 1988.
He talked about how he frequently got knocked down and said there were times when he considered not getting back up.
"But I never did. I got back up. I worked on strengthening myself. We're saying when you get knocked down, get back up. We have eight people here who know what it's like to get back on their feet," he said.
"Life can throw you a curve ball, and I appreciate the fact that you persevered. The fact that you overcame these obstacles means you can overcome other things," Rodgers said.
A legal component of the ceremony is that a judge -- normally Judge Logan -- formally agrees to drop their drug charges on graduation day.
Losing part of safety net
One graduate admitted that the end of her drug court requirements leaves her a little concerned about how she will cope on her own.
"Part of my safety net is gone," Gina Valeriani of Niles said after the ceremony. "Now I'm on my own to see what I've learned."
Either way, Gina's mother, Annette, said the 20 months of Gina's program have changed her daughter in dramatic ways. "I have my daughter back," Annette said tearfully. "She sees a future now."
Annette believes one specific event changed Gina the most -- her incarceration in the county jail last spring because of a drug relapse, which prevented her from being home on her young son's birthday.
"I started to care about myself and my family," Gina said. "I guess I started to open my eyes. I thought drugs were a normal part of life."
runyan@vindy.com