Summit County, Ohio: Judge Christine Croce, a presiding judge of the Turning Point Program, the Summit County felony drug court, is pleased to announce a Turning Point graduation ceremony will be held Monday, July 30, 2018 at 1:00 pm in the Ceremonial Courtroom at the Summit County Common Pleas Courthouse.

Five Turning Point participants will graduate at this event and will share their journeys of recovery in the program. Their family and friends, Turning Point team members and community leaders will also attend the ceremony to share in the many accomplishments and positive impact the Turning Point program continues to have in our community.

“Last year, I began presiding over a second Turning Point docket due to the increasing number of drug dependent offenders in our community,” stated Judge Croce. “Over the course of the year, I have seen the many accomplishments of our participants. To see people who have worked so hard – come so far – that, to me, is what makes our program such a success,” said Judge Croce.

Turning Point is a judicially supervised court docket that focuses on intensive court supervision for high-risk/high-need substance abuse offenders through a four phase process. Participation in the program is voluntary and focuses on sobriety and recovery for participants through a team approach. Team members focus on instruction, support, accountability and providing the tools needed for participants to achieve their personal “Turning Point”.

“The level of care that participants receive from our treatment team helps participants be successful. We have the unique ability to hold offenders accountable and make a positive impact by offering each participant the support and resources to live crime-free and drug-free lives,” continued Judge Croce.

Those that successfully complete all four phases of the program are celebrated with a graduation as their last appearance before the court. Some finish the program within a year, while others take longer. Regardless of their path to graduation, all participants have significant terms of sobriety and deserve to celebrate their accomplishments. The ceremony marks their completion of an intensive program of comprehensive substance use treatment, close supervision and full accountability.

Turning Point was developed from Summit County Felony Drug Court which started in 2002. It is a collaborative program of the Summit County Common Pleas Court, Oriana House, Inc., the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office, the Summit County Executive’s Office and local police departments.

Turning Point’s mission is to improve the overall quality of life in Summit County by providing a cost-effective way to reduce crime and allow offenders to transform into positive, contributing community members.

“Overcoming addiction is challenging but attainable with the right tools. So it is my honor to promote each participant’s path to recovery and watch people progress, reach milestones in their sobriety, achieve success and graduate,” concluded Judge Croce.