Administrative Office of Courts
Third District Drug Court graduation set for Aug. 14 in Oxford August 13, 2018 Eleven people are expected to graduate from the Third Judicial District Drug Court during a ceremony scheduled for Aug. 14 at the Lafayette County Courthouse in Oxford. The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. in the main courtroom. Eighteen other participants who are nearing completion of the program’s requirements will be recognized during the ceremony, said Drug Court Coordinator Brandon Vance. Each participant must spend at least three years under the supervision of the Drug Court and comply with all program requirements before being eligible to graduate. Three hundred and two people are currently enrolled in the program. The public is invited. The ceremony will be the fifteenth graduation ceremony for the Drug Court that includes Lafayette, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Marshall, Tippah and Union counties. The program is supervised by Circuit Judges Andrew K. Howorth and Kelly Luther. The guest speaker will be drug addiction counselor Doris “Dee” Meux of Oxford Treatment Center. Meux, a master level counselor, has worked in the field of addiction treatment for more than 30 years. Her work has included inpatient as well as outpatient treatment in private practice and non-profit settings. She currently directs the two-day intensive family program at the Oxford Treatment Center. The program provides addiction education for families, followed by a process of patient and family sharing, with a focus on communication and healing. Meux has received many awards for her work, including Mississippi Association of Addiction Professionals Counselor of the Year. She is a frequent speaker and workshop facilitator. She is an advocate for recovering addicts dealing with legal issues and is a passionate supporter of drug courts as an effective intervention for saving lives and healing families. Meux has said that her life's work is inspired by her own recovery from alcohol and drug addiction, and passion for bringing hope to addicts and their families. The mission of the Third District Drug Court is to enhance public safety by providing substance abusers with cost-effective, multi-disciplinary alternatives, including substance abuse treatment and monitoring. The mission also includes improving participants’ quality of life and returning those participants to the community as productive, law-abiding citizens; reducing the rate of recidivism; and breaking the drug addiction cycle. Drug courts seek to rehabilitate drug-using offenders through drug treatment and intense supervision with frequent court appearances and random drug testing. Drug courts offer the incentive of a chance to remain out of jail and be employed and the sanction of a prison sentence if participants fail to remain drug-free and in compliance with all program requirements. #### |
