EDGARD — In celebration of National Drug Court Month, the 40th JDC Adult Drug Court will hold a graduation ceremony at 2 p.m. Thursday at the St. John Parish Courthouse in Edgard.

Judge Madeline Jasmine and the Rev. Jerrod Jessie is slated to deliver keynote addresses.

This is the court’s 15th anniversary ceremony. 11 men and women are expected to be among this year’s graduates. The ceremony marks their completion of an intensive program of comprehensive substance use treatment, close supervision and full accountability.

The National Association of Drug Court Professionals coordinates National Drug Court Month.

This year, treatment courts throughout the nation are celebrating this month with the theme “Criminal Justice Reform in Action.” This week’s uplifting graduation ceremony is evidence of the tremendous impact the 40th JDC Adult Drug Court has had on the community and will send a powerful message that these programs reduce drug use, crime and recidivism while saving lives, families and valuable resources for our state.

Today, 2,966 treatment courts are in operation in all 50 states, plus U.S. territories, successfully treating close to 150,000 substance-addicted individuals each year. Since 1989, these courts have saved over 1.4 million lives and billions of tax dollars.

“Drug Courts and other treatment courts are the most successful programs for seriously addicted individuals in our nation’s history and represent true criminal justice reform in action,” said NADCP CEO Carson Fox. “Drug Courts and other treatment courts restore lives, reunite families and make communities safer, all while saving money for taxpayers. Instead of punishment, these programs provide life-saving treatment to those who need it most.”

The 40th JDC Adult Drug Court is a judicially supervised court docket that reduces correctional costs, enhances community safety and improves public welfare. In these programs, seriously addicted individuals remain in treatment for long periods of time while under close supervision. Court participants must meet obligations to themselves, their families and society.

To ensure accountability, they are regularly and randomly tested for substance use, and required to appear frequently in court for the judge to review their progress, rewarded for meeting goals and sanctioned for not meeting clearly stated obligations.

Research continues to show treatment courts work better than jail or prison, better than probation and better than treatment alone.

Treatment courts are this nation’s most effective strategy to reduce recidivism among the substance addicted community, nonviolent offenders with criminal histories. Nationally, 75 percent of individuals who complete such programs are not re-arrested. These courts save up to $13,000 for every individual they serve and return as much as $27 for every $1 invested.