The Augusta Judicial Circuit began a drug court program in 2008 to help save the lives of participants dealing with substance abuse.
On Thursday, June 16, the program held its 46th graduation at the Augusta-Richmond County Municipal Building. It was also the last graduation under the old Augusta Judicial Circuit. Seven people graduated with hopes to better their lives, their family and friends.
One of the leaders of the program is Columbia County Judicial Circuit Chief Judge James G. Blanchard Jr. The court has faced its obstacles, but the changes made, the growth of the program and the enjoyment he gets out of changing people’s lives for the better has helped significantly, he said.
“The first time we started the court, it took a few years to get moving,” Blanchard said. “It has been a journey, but if you like what you’re doing, that makes it all worthwhile.”
Blanchard said he will never forget all of the people this program has helped changed, including one particular man who thanked him at a gas station.
“I will never forget meeting a gentleman on Christmas Eve when I was getting gas. This big guy came up to me and threw his hand out and said, ‘You know I was in your program, and I went out and committed a bunch of burglaries, and you sentenced me to 10 years of prison. I did four years, but I’ve changed my life.’ So, you meet people that are in for a period of time that come back and say they might have failed out of my program, but you’ve help me change in some ways,” Blanchard said.
Many graduates during the ceremony came up and spoke in front of the court thanking the judge, their families and other Augusta Judicial Drug Court staff for all of the support.
Some talked about the struggles they’ve had throughout the process but said how much the program helped them and never gave up on them.
Wesley Nutt, now 22-year-old, went into the program fighting with an addiction to methamphetamine. He said when he first went into the program, he didn’t take it seriously, but once he did, it help change his life.
“When I first went into the program, I was using and continuing to use and kept getting a lot of different sanctions, not taking the program seriously,” Nutt said. “Once I actually did take it seriously and realize these people were trying to help me, it really changed my life.”
Wesley now has a 1-year-old son, a wife and a great job due to the life changing experience of the drug court program and the program’s treatment provider, Family Counseling Center of the CSRA.
Blanchard said that is one of the big advantages, seeing families being brought back together.
“This lady came up and spoke to me and thanked me for bringing their family back together,” Blanchard said. “You see things like that a lot doing this. A lot of times, you’ll have family come up and speak during the graduation.”
Blanchard believes the program has achieved what it was created to do.
“We’re always seeking to do more,” Blanchard said. “We’re hoping to get a larger court in both counties. Prison does not cure. There has to be punishment, but prison does not cure anybody from any illness. Those people are going to come back to the same community, going around the same people, and wind doing the same things and committing the same errors. It is a lot of time best to just have short sanctions.”
Despite controversy, as of July 1, the Augusta Judicial Court split, separating Columbia County from Richmond and Burke counties. June 16 was the final drug court under the old Augusta Judicial Circuit.
The Augusta Judicial Circuit remained together for 150 years, but Columbia County split away into its own judicial circuit.
Blanchard, Sheryl B. Jolly and J. Wade Padgett are the superior court judges to the new Columbia County Circuit. Bobby Christine serves as the first district attorney.
Chief Judge Daniel J. Craig, Ashley Wright, John Flythe, Jesse Stone and Amanda Heath are the judges over the Superior Court in Richmond and Burke County. Jared Williams remains district attorney for the Augusta Judicial Circuit.
