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‘I got back everything I lost’ — Taunton Drug Court grads reach for the ‘gold ring’
TAUNTON – Being clean and sober is a good feeling.
And having your probation removed by the court is also not such a bad thing.
Those were the rewards for four “graduates” of the three-year-old Taunton Drug Court, one of 25 adult drug courts operating within the commonwealth’s “specialty court” Trial Court system.
For the four former, chronic drug users who underwent a rehabilitation program lasting anywhere from 18 to 24 months, the graduation ceremony in Courtroom Five of Taunton Trial Court on Broadway represented a second chance to live a productive and law-abiding life.
It also was an opportunity to avoid serving a prison sentence.
Wednesday’s event marked the second year in a row the program has produced a crop of graduates.
“I got back everything that I lost,” said graduate Emily Scaringello, who now lives in Lowell.
Scaringello, 24, says she had been living in Braintree in 2016 when she was arrested in Easton for larceny.
By then she says she was mainlining not just the narcotic stimulant methamphetamine but also heroin, which induces an essentially opposite, physical sensation.
Scaringello said she had violated her probation three times, which could have landed her in prison for up to five years.
Instead she opted to enroll in the drug court program, which led to a six-month residence in an all-female halfway house in Lowell called Megan’s House followed by a transition to a sober house.
She says she underwent an AA-style 12-step program with a sponsor who helped her through each step.
Presiding Taunton Drug Court Justice Edmund C. Mathers, who introduced each grad and presented them with certificates of graduation, described the unpaid sponsors as the “real heroes of this operation.”
Scaringello says she now shares an apartment in Lowell with two roommates who have somewhat similar backgrounds.
“I’m very grateful for it,” Scaringello said of the drug-court program, which includes regular Wednesday court sessions in Taunton.
Three graduates received their certificates in person; a fourth, listed as John G., was unable to attend because of his work schedule.
Mathers praised Scaringello for her perseverance and consistency, noting that she now works as an assistant manager at a Dunkin’ Donuts.
He urged anyone who signs on to the drug court program to avoid “a circuitous route” and strive instead to adhere to the straight and narrow.
But even if one does stray off course, Mathers said, there’s always a chance for getting back on track.
He noted the example of graduate Dennis Andrade.
The judge, who has presided over the Taunton drug court since its inception in 2016, said it took Andrade nearly three years but that he persevered.
“Dennis insisted on doing things his own way, but he kept trying. And if you keep trying we’ll keep trying with you,” Mathers said, adding that “the gold ring is there for everyone, no matter how long it takes you to get there.”
Andrade said the drug court program “has truly saved my life, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Among other things, Andrade said he learned the value of patience during his residence at the Dr. Robert Smith House — which provides case management services and transitional housing to 10 men in the early recovery phase from addiction.
The facility is overseen by Taunton-based Community Counseling of Bristol County and funded by the state’s Department of Public Safety.
Graduate Nathan Lopes joked about Mathers’ insistence that he seek employment as part of his commitment and obligation to the program.
“I’m still upset with you for making me get a job,” said Lopes, who said he now works part-time in the construction trade and as a waiter in a restaurant.
This was the first year that anyone was presented with what is now known as the court’s Outstanding Service Award.
The award was created in honor of the late John Munise, a 36-year Taunton police patrolman who died last year of cancer at the age of 63.
Munise is remembered for his integral role and personal interest in the city’s drug court program.
Mathers described the tall, burly Munise as “one of the founding fathers” and “the Mount Rushmore of the drug court.”
“John was the heart and soul for the first two years,” said Mathers, who said that Munise’s credo was to “get them all in the lifeboat, every one of them.”
“He volunteered and would do anything we asked of him,” Mathers added.
Volunteer Nate Daniels of Taunton was the first recipient of what will be the drug court’s annual Outstanding Service Award.
“He’s a lot skinnier and not nearly as loud as John,” an upbeat Mathers said of Daniels, “but he’s also very similar, because he’s never said ‘no’” when asked to devote his time and energy.
“We’re like the mafia here,” Mathers joked. “Once you sign up you’re in, and if you try to leave we’ll suck you back in.”
Chief Probation Officer Kelly Hamilton-Welzel presented the award to Daniels.
“We’ll always mention John and how we’re trying to fill those shoes,” she said, “but Nate didn’t fill those shoes, he brought his own.”
Daniels said his motivation for volunteering is partially attributable to the fact that “life is not always kind.” But he also said he’s been inspired by the program’s participants.
“You grads have worked incredibly hard. You’re my inspiration,” he said.
Daniels, 38, describes himself as an entrepreneur who owns and operates his own Information Technology consulting firm. He also says he’s a practicing life coach.
Being a drug court volunteer, he said, means that he makes himself available to drive program participants to rehabilitation facilities as far away as Quincy, Boston and Weymouth.
Daniels said his best friend died of an overdose in 2017 after injecting either pure fentanyl or heroin mixed with the powerful opioid painkiller.
He said his friend became addicted, first to prescription oxycodone after two back surgeries, and eventually to heroin.
Taunton police detective Peter Corr was recognized for his having stepped up to fulfill the role previously played by Munise, who was also the police department’s elders affairs officer.
“It’s just an honor,” Corr, 51, said.
Corr says he sometimes, as does Daniels, gives program participants rides but also brings some of them back to court, after the judge has issued a warrant for their having skipped out on a drug court hearing.
Mathers puts the average number of Taunton Drug Court participants at any given time at around 15 men and women.
He says the success rate is generally about 50 percent of those enrolled.
In addition to certificates, each graduate was given a gold coin “award medallion” exemplifying dedication and loyalty, dating back to a tradition begun by a World War II battalion commander.
A number of current drug court participants sitting in the courtroom’s jury box were on hand to witness the graduation ceremony.
Taunton District Court First Justice Kevan J. Cunningham congratulated this year’s graduates.
“You chose a hard route to follow,” Cunningham said. “Some prefer incarceration, but you’ll be better for it, and I wish you good luck.”
Graduation from a drug court program means that one’s probation at that specific court has ended, according to Coria Holland, communications director for the Massachusetts Probation Service.
In some instances, however, they either may have open cases at other courts or alternately may have completed their probation term prior to their graduation, she said.
A specialty court team, according to the Massachusetts Center of Excellence for Specialty Courts, typically includes a judge, probation officer, prosecutor, defense counsel, treatment providers and, if available, an assigned specialty court clinician.
A recovery coach trained in addiction issues might also be part of the team in court, according to the center’s website.
