Jul 2, 2021 4 min read

One by one, graduates from Washington County’s Restrictive Treatment Program shared stories about how drugs pulled them into the criminal justice system, and then thanked the county’s “specialty court” for helping them to break away from addiction to find work and mend broken relationships with family and friends.

Jason Swoger said his life was “very dark, very confusing” for years before he entered the program a couple years ago following his arrest on drug charges.

But Swoger explained how the program helped him to get clean, allowed him to build trust with others and instilled confidence in himself to earn a commercial driver’s license and purchase a “big truck” for hauling.

“It worked for me when I was in need of help,” Swoger said as he stood at the lectern during the graduation ceremony Thursday morning in the Washington County Courthouse.

“You’ve come a long way,” President Judge John DiSalle said while presiding over the hourlong ceremony. “You’ve hit a couple of bumps in the road, but look at you now. We gave you the tools, but you did the work.”

Thirteen people graduated from the DUI and drug treatment programs during three separate ceremonies Thursday. It was the second graduation of the year, although the first one in March was held individually for graduates due to COVID-19 safety protocols. The court provides several programs for criminal defendants struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues, offering them pathways to change their lives.

After each person spoke at the lectern explaining their story and how they’ve improved their lives, DiSalle offered them words of encouragement and then left the bench to shake hands and even hug the graduates before posing for a photo.

“We don’t get to do a lot of happy things in this courtroom,” DiSalle said, noting occasional weddings and adoptions. “But this is a good day.”

The 23-month program provides incentives to attend support groups, engage with a sponsor, find employment and make meaningful improvements in their lives. All of them said that support system helped them to reform their lives, but they also promised to do their best to stay on track even after graduating from the program.

“All of those tools are still there,” DiSalle reminded the graduates. “They don’t go away. You’re responsible for your own recovery now.”

RTP began in 2005 as treatment court and is one of several specialty courts that offer recovery options for people after they’ve been sentenced. RTP Administrator Liz Sullivan said they typically hold three or four graduations annually, with 30 people graduating each year.

“I love graduation,” Sullivan said. “Just to see people completely change their lives.”

Sullivan praised all of the graduates, including Swoger, whom she’s watched bounce around the criminal justice system before his successful exit through RTP.

“This is the best he’s ever done,” Sullivan said. “It’s amazing how far he’s come. I’m really proud of him.”

Swoger’s mother, Carole, beamed while sitting in the audience next to her son’s girlfriend and granddaughter during the ceremony inside DiSalle’s courtroom. She’s watched in amazement the recent transformation of her 49-year-old son, who was addicted to drugs for two decades, she said.

“It’s amazing. He’s like a different person,” Carole Swoger said. “It’s been a long, rough road. I’m just so proud of him.”

Carole Swoger lost an adult daughter to drug addiction in August 2016, so she was especially grateful with how the program turned her son’s life around and helped him to achieve his dream of getting a CDL and purchasing a truck to work for a hauling company.

“That’s what he wanted to do all his life. But the drugs took over,” Carole Swoger said. “It’s a wonderful program. This is a testament to what you can do with your life.”