KING COUNTY, Wash. — Inside Peer Kent, the day started with a viewing party for a major victory - graduation day.
A total of seven graduates attended a virtual ceremony marking their successful completion of King County Drug Diversion Court, a program Michael Robertson graduated from years ago.
"I am a three-time felon, all of my felonies were drug related," Robertson said.
The fourth time Robertson found himself facing a felony, he was given the chance to get into drug diversion court.
"Without this program, my life right now ... I believe I would probably be staring death in the face," he said.
But today, Robertson works at Peer Kent, helping others navigate drug diversion court.
It is a program Kwan, 42, found out about from his attorney while he was in jail.
"I wasn't interested in getting clean, honestly. But you know, I wanted to do whatever to get out of jail at the time," Kwan said.
Kwan's addiction started in high school and intensified over the next couple of decades until he was hooked on heroin, he said. When Kwan entered drug diversion court, he had to go through a five-phase program.
Drug court offers individuals charged with felony drug crimes and property crimes motivated by addiction the opportunity for substance use disorder and mental health treatment, access to other services such as housing, transportation, and job skills training, according to KCDDC's website. Successful completion of drug diversion court results in the dismissal of felonies.
"If you don't graduate, the alternative is that you could go to prison," Kwan said.
Robertson, who said recovery "needs to be normalized," benefitted from drug diversion court.
On Wednesday, after more than two years of work, Kwan can say the same.
"Now I don't want to get high anymore. I'm more interested in making money, working, and I just care about things again," Kwan said.
Kwan has found himself a full-time job.
As for Robertson, he's following a career path he's passionate about, working at Peer Kent and helping others reach their own graduation day.
"You could have a million dollars, or you could be living in the back seat of a car like I was, and if you don't have the right support, you are not going to heal," Robertson said. "My hope for the graduates is that they can spread that message."
According to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, King County Drug Diversion Court was created in August 1994 by the late Norm Maleng and then King County Superior Court Judge Ricardo Martinez. King County’s Drug Court was the 12th drug court in the country. Today, there are drug courts in every state and more than 3,000 nationwide.
In King County, more than 2,700 people have graduated from Drug Court since 1994.