December is the month of driving impairment prevention and several people completed substance abuse and PTSD support programs on Monday.
There were two graduation ceremonies on Monday. Eight graduates were honored in the Main Plaza by the DWI Accountability Court, which helps prevent repeated DWI violations.
Five graduates from the Veterans Treatment Court were also celebrated. The court works with Veterans Affairs for programs to help veterans who become involved in substance abuse due to disabilities such as PTSD.
District Court No. 1 Judge Randy Gray oversees the DWI Accountability Court and District Court No. 2 Judge Charles Stephens II oversees the Veterans Treatment Court.
Gray founded the DWI Court in 2009 and today has 196 graduates. According to the National Center for DWI Courts, the Comal County DWI Court is one of more than 700 DWI courts in the United States.
The court promotes public safety by reducing a DWI defendant’s potential for recidivism.
The program combines drug abuse treatment with accountability and monitoring of participants with ongoing judicial oversight.
This includes court hearings, probation officer visits, counseling, intensive treatment, which may include medication, and frequent alcohol and drug tests.
“DWI courts provide treatment, not handcuffs, for people struggling with addiction,” Judge Randy Gray said in a press release.
The DWI Court “team” consists of representatives from the criminal justice system, including Adult Probation, Criminal Defense Bar, District Attorney’s Office and law enforcement agencies.
The Veterans Court is similar but focuses on veterans suffering from addiction, often in response to service-related trauma. It now has a total of 49 graduates.
The court also seeks to resolve family violence, which usually occurs in response to PTSD.
“They usually use a substance like alcohol or drug to mask the trauma they have suffered, especially if it is a service-related trauma,” said Laura Balo, administrative director of the Veterans Treatment Court. “When they come to us about family violence “The VA has a great program that has both victims and accused going through the program, and it helps them understand why they did what they did and how they can do it better.”
The four-phase program lasts approximately 12 to 24 months. If someone is arrested and identified as a veteran, the court will work out a treatment program with the attorney, Balo said.
As the program progresses, they may have fewer court appointments and do less the better they get.
If they don’t graduate, they can repeat the program at another time.
Balo said she was proud of the graduates who achieved their goals. She joined the Veterans Treatment Court this year after working for the Hays County Treatment Court and said it was her first time seeing a senior year in Comal County.
“This program is not easy and you really have to want to get help,” said Balo. “They really went out of their way to complete the program and walk away with their heads held high knowing that what they did to get them here doesn’t define them.”
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