Two people graduate from Wood Court program

Two people graduated from the Wood Project Tuesday. It’s a program designed to treat criminal offenders who suffer from mental illness and substance abuse problems.

It’s a pilot program that people hope will become statewide. This program started in 2008 and people said it’s been incredibly successful.

“We’ve seen people who have very lengthy drug histories who’ve had difficulty in and out of treatment for 20 years, and in and out of jail for 20 years, come to us and finally get on top of things, “said judge Jon Shindurling.

Instead of sending people to prison, they start in a work release program at the jail.
There they develop skills to live independently.

Program coordinators say it’s a tough program and only about half the people who start graduate. They say it’s exciting to see those people make it.

“It’s heart-warming when you see those succeed, particularly those who graduate and come back two, three, four years later and who are still doing well and come up and say ‘Thank you,’ and tell you about their successes and their families and their jobs,” said Shindurling.

Completing the program takes about 15 months. Once they graduate they can get a withheld judgement or dismiss their felony depending on their case.