Cook County Substance Use Recovery Court (SURC, or sometimes referred as Drug or Recovery Court)) had its first graduates on Tuesday, December 26, almost one year after the program began in January 2017.
Both graduates of SURC spoke positively about their experience going through the program. Each entered SURC when it was still in its pilot stage.
Drug court is new to Cook County, but it had its beginnings in 1989 in Miami-Dade County, Florida, as a response to a growing number of people addicted to crack or cocaine that kept appearing before the courts.
A group of justice officials realized the system wasn’t working for either the defendant or prosecutors, and they came up with a novel approach. Drug treatment was combined with the structure—a team of people who work with the offender—under the authority of a judge.
Drug courts aren’t used for violent offenders. Instead, they are in place to provide treatment and supportive services to non-violent offenders who have substance abuse issues.
In 2016 when Cook County was working to set up SURC, Cook County Attorney Molly Hicken explained that in a traditional case a prosecutor charges a defendant, the defense attorney defends the case, the judge and jury determines guilt, and the defendant is either incarcerated or released into probation.
“The defendant doesn’t see the judge or attorneys again until/unless they have violated probation and they are being punished for it. Success and periods of sobriety aren’t rewarded or recognized. … “The overall health of the “whole person” (environmental, physical, social, etc.) is not addressed by the court system and mandates for treatment are often unsuccessful.
“The person comes out on the other end having been punished, but perhaps not healed, and ends up back in the system.”
But under the rules of a drug court, strategies include giving extended probation, frequent appearances before a judge, frequent meetings with probation officers, staggered sentencing that breaks up jail time into segments and allows the participant to earn reductions in jail time with good behavior and regular alcohol and drug testing.
“Research shows that this approach has proven more effective than traditional court strategies at reducing repeat offenses,” said Hicken. “This is especially true for certain offenders, such as those having a high-risk recidivism potential.
“Drug courts result in more defendants turning their lives around and becoming healthy, law-abiding citizens, and research also shows that when these strategies are implemented correctly, they improve public safety and save taxpayers dollars.”
One of the graduates on Tuesday said he had accomplished a year and a half of sobriety through the program. Along with sobriety he has developed a positive relationship with his granddaughter, received a promotion at work, and after 20 years of not having a driver’s license, he is now planning on getting his driver’s license and purchasing a vehicle.
The second graduate has reached two years of sobriety without drugs or alcohol. Attending the graduation with him were his girlfriend and their two children. He said he was grateful that he could now teach his children how to live in a healthy way so they could grow up to be the best that they could be.
Judge Michael Cuzzo was more expressive. “Those of us working in the criminal justice system don’t get to have positive interactions in the courtroom enough. Working with Recovery Court participants is one of the very special things we get to do. Being part of these success stories is at the top of the list of privileges I am given as a judge.”
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