Drug court works.

Witness the experience of Chad Hudson, one of 28 graduates of the four-year-old program whose success was celebrated in a ceremony last week.

“I had time to get a life,” Hudson said, emphasizing that he had been through rehabilitation 11 times before a felony burglary charge landed him in jail, facing a possible life sentence as a habitual offender.

His crimes — all nonviolent — were all committed to get items to sell or exchange for cocaine or meth, he said.

It was a pattern former Circuit Judge Frank Vollor said was all-too-familiar in the passing parade at the courthouse. Prison wasn’t breaking the cycle, Vollor said, and he pushed for the 9th Circuit District to create a special court patterned after start-ups in other Mississippi jurisdictions.

There were detractors, of course. Some saw drug courts as “coddling” criminals. The judges who administer the court, now Isadore Patrick and M. James Chaney, would disagree.

Traditional rehab programs work for some, but for hard-core addicts the ongoing and intensive monitoring by court officials makes all the difference. Hudson, for example, one of 212 defendants who have waived rights to submit to the process since the court was created, was in the program for three years.

Drug court is a serious response to a serious problem in our community. Judge Patrick, the night of the graduation festivities, sent several participants to jail — immediately — who had failed drug tests. Too, more people don’t complete the program than do. Program administrator Maryam Husband said while 34 participants have completed all or almost all of the four phases, 70 have failed and been sent back into the court and prison system.

There is, quite simply, no coddling.

Addicts uniformly say breaking an addiction is the hardest thing they’ve ever done. For those willing to make the effort, the court offers support and sanctions in equal doses. “I had my mishaps,” Hudson said. “They know you will probably mess up, but they work with you and give you a second chance.”

Commendably, no one who’s graduated from phase four has been sent back for additional treatment and monitoring. That’s a burden off taxpayers, a burden off law enforcement and, most important, a life redeemed.

Anyone who still thinks Warren County Drug Court is “coddling” should sit in on a session. The court is open to the public. Any who attend will see the power of the human spirit waging war on the destructive power of drugs. Each victory is a cause for celebration.