4 more grads make it through Westmoreland drug court

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4 more grads make it through Westmoreland drug court

Rich Cholodofsky | Thursday, February 20, 2020 5:06 p.m.

Cody Winslow, 21, of Jeannette thanks the team members, classmates and his family, as Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio looks on, during Drug Court graduation at the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg, on Thursday, on Dec. 27, 2018.

Westmoreland County’s drug court on Thursday graduated four more participants, bringing the number of former addicts who obtained sobriety under judicial supervision to 39 during the six years of the program.

Thursday marked the eighth graduation ceremony since the court was unveiled in 2014.

“This is a very intensive program to get to graduation day,” said Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio.

Drug court was established at the height of the ongoing opioid epidemic in the county as the number of fatal overdoses hit record numbers. Participants are required to meet with court staff, treatment experts and advisers multiple times each month during the course of the program, which is designed to last at least 24 months and allows for the reduced or alternative sentences to jail time.

Drug court administrator William Shifko said most participants require about two years to complete the program.

The court, which is overseen by Bilik-DeFazio and Judge Christopher Feliciani, is currently operating at its full capacity of 60 participants, Shifko said.

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