Alabama
Ceremony honors graduates of Birmingham drug, gun courts
As too many young people have before him, Ricky Koonce nearly let a mistake stand in the way of pursuing his goals.
The 24-year-old Birmingham man who plans to attend law school was arrested when a complaint about loud noise brought police to his home. Once there, officers found marijuana, which Koonce says wasn't his.
On Tuesday, Koonce and about 30 other people graduated from the city of Birmingham's drug court. It was the first such graduation for the year-old municipal drug court, said Municipal Court Judge Andra Sparks.
Article: http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/06/ceremony_honors_graduates_of_b.html
McCooey's Drug Court "Outstanding Example"
The drug court overseen by Judge Tracy McCooey, whose interview was recently posted on CuttingEdgeLaw.com, was commended in this opinion piece in the Montgomery (Alabama) Advertiser.
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20090903/OPINION01/909020367
Judge Tracy McCooey: Maverick in Problem-Solving Courts and Restorative Justice
Cutting Edge Law Categories:
Court Innovation and Problem Solving Courts
Topics:
Courts and Judiciary
Topics:
Politics and Policy
Topics:
Social and Political Change
Audience:
General Interest Part 1: Tracy McCooey, a circuit court judge and former FBI trainee, talks about her unorthodox path to the bench and her early desire to try new restorative justice programs to make the criminal justice system better.
New Juvenile Drug Court in Lauderdale County, Alabama
Excerpt: Lauderdale County Circuit Judge Jimmy Sandlin said the top factor in acts of juvenile delinquency is substance abuse.
"Whether it's domestic violence, theft or truancy, there is the underlying thread of substance abuse that ties it all together," said Sandlin, the county's juvenile judge.
He hopes a new juvenile drug court scheduled to begin Sept. 1 will make a difference.
Rest of article at: http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090816/ARTICLES/908165035/1011/NEWS?...