Drug Court Making A Difference In Drug Users Lives

Drug users who commit less serious crime are getting a second chance through the Fond du Lac County Drug Court. Judges Gary Sharpe and Robert Wirtz oversee the program in their courtrooms. Judge Sharpe (pictured above) says those who are eligible for the program get treatment, are supervised by a judge and appear every week in drug court. He says the program has had success across the country. He says he recently attended a seminar where graduates of drug court programs spoke and they were proud about turning their lives around. He says they go by the rule of forties, which requires participants to put in a combination of 40 hours by getting a job, doing community service, treatment and attending meetings. He says there are sanctions for violations, but also participants are applauded for their small victories. A federal grant helped establish Fond du Lac County’s Drug Court program.