CINCINNATI — Since 1995, the Hamilton County Drug Treatment and Recovery Court has been working with those arrested on drug-related charges.
For years, Judge Nicole Sanders has been leading the way on the bench. Sanders sat down with us to discuss the major shift her court underwent to better work with the defendants going through the program.
Since those changes in 2022, she has seen 368 people graduate from the program.
"If they successfully complete the program, then their charges are dismissed," Sanders said.
WCPO 9 continues our commitment to highlighting solutions to substance abuse in the Tri-State, including our community conversation with local experts last week.
The program leads defendants through team meetings, connects them with local service providers and specializes in supervision and treatment. Sanders said that while not everyone graduates, her office is committed to helping all the eligible defendants who end up in her courtroom.
“There’s accountability, there’s problem solving, there’s compassion," Sanders said.
Graduates from the court's program include Jovan Parks, who graduated from the court's program in 2023.
“I was using drugs and selling drugs," Parks said.
Parks' road to recovery was not without serious roadblocks.
“Eventually wind up getting incarcerated again, for like 45 days, and I just made my mind up sitting down in a jail cell, man, I ain't doing it no more," Parks said.
Learn more about Parks and his story graduating through the program here:
Through the support of the court and his commitment, alongside his family, Parks was able to graduate and obtain a college degree. Now, he helps the court as a resource to those in similar situations to his own.
“I seen friends in here that I knew, and they was able to graduate because they were able to see me do the same thing, and they saw me change," Parks said.
Sanders showed us a thank you letter, handwritten by the mother of a recent graduate.
“This is why I do it, right here. You know, we’re dealing with people’s lives," said Sanders.
