(BALTIMORE, MD—December 1, 2003) The District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City will be hosting a ceremony for 35 graduates of the Baltimore City Drug Treatment Court on Wednesday, December 3, 2003 at 10:30 a.m. The graduates recently completed the two-year drug treatment program and are now drug-free. Sen. Ulysses Currie (D.-25), Chair of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, will be the guest speaker for the event. The graduates will receive a ‘Certificate of Completion’ and be given the opportunity to address the audience. 

“After years and years of serious addiction to drugs, our graduations celebrate the hard work, fighting spirit and courageous efforts of our participants,” said Baltimore City District Court Judge Jamey H. Weitzman, who chairs the Drug Treatment Court Commission of Maryland. “Most of the graduates entered the program using heroin and cocaine daily for many years; most were unemployed and leading dysfunctional lives. They are now drug free, tax-paying citizens who are making meaningful contributions to their communities.”

The Baltimore City Drug Treatment Court, the first such program in Maryland, was established in 1994. The program is a unique collaboration among the Maryland Judiciary, the Division of Parole and Probation, the State’s Attorney’s Office, the Office of the Public Defender, the Baltimore City Police Department, the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office and substance abuse treatment providers. The program provides intensive treatment, supervision and comprehensive judicial monitoring to habitual offenders whose crimes are addiction-driven. 

The Drug Treatment Court incorporates varying levels of treatment as well as vocational, educational and life skills training and other services to address issues that contribute to drug abuse and criminal behavior. Since its inception, the Baltimore City Drug Treatment Court has graduated over 1,300 defendants.

The District Court for Baltimore City is located at 5300 Wabash Avenue, Baltimore. Members of the media are invited to attend. Please contact the Court Information Office at 410/260-1488 if you would like to bring a camera or for more information.