On June 8, Danny Petersen stood in a court room at Dimond Courthouse, finally ready to leave.<\/p>\n
That day marked his graduation from Juneau Therapeutic Court (JTC), an 18-month program that serves as an alternative to jail time for alcohol and drug addicts. Petersen entered the program in December 2015 and graduated June 8 in front of family, friends and others in the JTC program.<\/p>\n
He kept his thoughts brief, but said he felt bad for other therapeutic court programs across the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure they\u2019ve got OK people,\u201d Petersen said, \u201cbut they don\u2019t have you guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
His graduation signaled that he had done hundreds of hours of therapy, passed numerous urine tests, checked in on time with those running the program and showed a concerted effort to get sober.<\/p>\n
More importantly, his graduation signaled the fact that he figured out a way to start living sober. He\u2019s working at Lowpete Construction (along with his father Bob) and has turned to exercise as an outlet, explaining, \u201cthat\u2019s how I get high now.\u201d His bonds with his family have healed and even strengthened, he said.<\/p>\n
The past 18 months had challenged him, but following his emotional graduation ceremony, he was beaming.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was skeptical after I started for a little while,\u201d Petersen admitted, \u201cbecause it\u2019s a lot to do and it starts to break you, but it gets easier. You\u2019ve just gotta make it through.\u201d<\/p>\n
Expanding the program<\/span><\/p>\n Long before Petersen was happily (and soberly) leaving a courtroom, he was committing a burglary in 2015. He was doing so to support an addiction that included numerous drugs, or as he put it, \u201call of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Had he committed the crime 10 years ago, he wouldn\u2019t have been eligible for JTC, which was originally formed as a program for those who had committed felony DUIs. It would take them through numerous classes to combat alcohol addiction and get them back to a healthier lifestyle.<\/p>\n Then, around the time Judge Thomas Nave took over the program, it expanded to include those with drug addictions as well. They don\u2019t accept people who have committed violent crimes, but accept people who commit thefts that are related to their addictions. Due to a growing number of drug-related crimes, Nave said, it was the obvious move to make to expand the program.<\/p>\n \u201cMeth and heroin are the drugs of choice these days,\u201d Nave said, \u201cand both hugely addicting and debilitating over time.\u201d<\/p>\n [Juneau sees steep rise in property crime in 2016<\/a>] <\/ins><\/p>\n To enter the program, a defendant\u2019s lawyer will talk with the district attorney about whether or not the defendant is a good candidate for JTC. The defendant must also have interest in joining. The maximum capacity for the program is 15 people, allowing for Nave and Program Coordinator Samantha Abernathy to dedicate ample time to each participant.<\/p>\n Nave was a bit skeptical at first about expanding the program, but has seen it work well. From 2010-2015, Nave pointed out, 31 people graduated from JTC and only three of them have ended up committing crimes after finishing the program (just under 10 percent).<\/p>\n