Thursday’s graduation day lacked caps and gowns and was a little less formal than traditional pomp and circumstance, but it was no less joyous for the participants who filled the third-floor courtroom in the Ellis County Court House.
The six who graduated were among the first to be sentenced 15 months ago to Drug Court and complete its five phases that aim to treat the offenders’ drug problem and give them the tools to not return to their former habits.
Drug Court, while a part of an offender’s sentence with strict requirements, is often informal in its proceedings when it meets every two weeks in the second-floor courtroom of 23rd Judicial District Chief Judge Glenn Braun. He likens Drug Court to more of a conversation between him and each individual, where they share their ups and downs in their lives.
By Juno Ogle 