LOUISVILLE — Several jail sentences did nothing to help Mechele Turner break her addiction to crack cocaine.

        But Ms. Turner now credits an intensive drug diversion program for regaining control over her life. The 41-year-old mother of two graduated from a Jefferson County Drug Court with nine others Tuesday.

Mechele Turner gets a hug from her son, Antonio Turner, after she graduated from a drug court program. (Associated Press photo) | ZOOM |

        “I made the decision to change my life. Drug Court shows people that decision is there for them to make,” Ms. Turner said. “You can lock people up, but you're not attacking the disease.”

        The Jefferson County program places nonviolent drug offenders under strict supervision and enrolls them in an intense program to break their habit.

        Participants are required to meet with counselors and support groups as often as five times a week and be tested for drugs and alcohol as often as three times a week.

        Before they graduate, participants must be clean and sober for six months.

        More than 500 jurisdictions across the nation have similar programs, the U.S. Justice Department said.

        Ms. Turner has had several stints in jail, her first being in 1983 for dealing in drugs.

        For the next decade she stayed out of trouble and was able to obtain custody of her son and daughter and move to Louisville with her new boyfriend.

        But she returned to jail in 1996 for passing stolen checks. —Her addiction also destroyed her relationship, she said.

        After being paroled in 1997, Ms. Turner spent two years living in jail, halfway houses, recovery centers and homeless shelters. She entered drug-counseling programs, but she never made an effort at beating her addiction, she said.

        After an arrest on drug charges in 1999, the detective who arrested her helped divert her into drug court.

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