Opioids, Justice & Mercy

• Author: Liane Jackson
• Pages: 36-43

PHOTOGRAPH BY

By Liane

Jackson

IT’S NOT EVERY DAY that a cri minal

defendant hugs a judge. But in court s across

the country, these are unusu al times.

A judicial embrace is a ha rd-won moment

of congratulations for people w ith addictions

graduating from t he Cuyahoga County Drug

Court in Clevela nd. After more than a year i n

the diversion program—batt ling addictions,

fi ghting demons and rec laiming life—hugs and

tears are inev itable as participants cr oss a sobriety

threshold most never thought possible.

“It’s been an absolute ride, this dr ug court,”

said one new graduate. “I wa s always a quitter,

and today I choose to be a fi ghter. If you have the

will, you can over come anything.”

The cycle of overdose, arre st, jail and rehab has

been di cult t o crack as the opioid crisis scales up

and out, consuming com munities. But court diver-

sion programs such as the one helmed by Judge

David Matia are ex panding, and the arbiter behind

the bench has increa singly become an advocate on

the sidelines. Loca l courts are pivoting from cri me

and punishment to car rot-and-stick—using more

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|| ABA JOURNAL JUNE 2018

Opioids,

Justice