Drug Court and truancy program participants graduate in Montgomery County

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - A lot of people want to stay out of their local courthouse, but Wednesday in Montgomery County, dozens of families couldn’t wait to head inside.      

That's because of two separate graduations that were both held at the courthouse for very different reasons.

The first graduation was for Drug Court, a program that was started in 2004. Its aim is to enroll participants that are repeat offenders whose criminal conduct is motivated by drugs. It takes a minimum of 22 months to complete, and among other things, participants must hold down a job and maintain their sobriety to graduate, according to officials.

During Wednesday’s ceremony, Christian Wolschlager was recognized for outstanding achievement. He told FOX 5 that he entered the program because it was an alternative to jail time and that at the time, he was facing more than 60 years behind bars on a variety of charges related to drugs.

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"Staying clean and sober for 20 months was the greatest thing that I’ve ever done, and I would not have done it if the police hadn’t kicked down the door," Wolschlager said.

The second graduation, held in a courtroom – one floor below – was for the Truancy Prevention Program. Its mission is to improve middle school attendance in Montgomery County Public Schools by discovering the root causes of truancy and assisting students and their families with issues that impact attendance, according to its website. 

Students are invited to participate if they miss between 18 and 36 days of school per year.

Seventh-grader Braelyn Wood said it’s worked for her.

"It helped me like knowing that people were like counting on me to go to school and thinking about my achievements," she said.

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Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy praised both programs.

In regards to Drug Court, McCarthy said, "we’re rebuilding lives, not locking people up."

Referring to the truancy program, McCarthy added, "If you want to take a bite out of juvenile crime, get kids re-engaged in their education. That’s what this is about."

More information about Drug Court can be found here and details about the Truancy Prevention Program can be found here.