Joy Guilliatt’s life appeared headed for one of two endings, one grim, the other grimmer.

Then came Lancaster County Drug Court.

“I’m either dead or in prison without it,” said Guilliatt, a former crack cocaine addict. “I truly believe it saved my life.”

Guilliatt, 31, was among seven men and women who graduated from the drug court at a ceremony Monday evening at the Nebraska College of Law. An estimated 150 people attended the event.

“It was a challenge, you betcha,” said Guilliatt, who completed the program in 18 months. “I was willing and ready to change. … I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

As of 2007, 121 of the 353 men and women accepted into the program have graduated , and 173 have been terminated, according to information provided by Jared Gavin, adult drug court coordinator. The drug court began in 2001.

“We give numerous chances before a dismissal” from the program, Gavin said. “What makes drug court unique is the charge will be dismissed” upon graduation, he said.

Drug court participants have committed felony crimes that are tied to drug addition — stealing merchandise, for example, to support their habit. As part of their admission into the court, they agree to plead guilty to the crimes.

Toward the end of the graduation Monday, Chief Deputy Lancaster County Public Defender Scott Helvie asked District Judge Paul Merritt Jr., inside the packed lecture hall, to dismiss the cases against the seven graduates.

After Lancaster County Deputy Attorney Marcie Hagerty told the judge her office would not oppose Helvie’s motion, the judge dismissed the cases.

Guilliatt, the mother of three children, said that when she first used crack, she believed it would be the only time.

“I thought I would do it just once,” she said. “It consumed me.”

Soon, she said, she was spending hundreds of dollars daily on the drug.

“I’m not hardly sure why I tried it,” she said. “I think I was just not happy inside. I was looking for something.”

Graduate Michael Iles, 34, shoplifted computers, video games and other electronic merchandise to support his methamphetamine habit.

He had been locked up before, but this time around, he said, things are going to be different.

“Before, all I thought about was getting out and getting high,” he said. “As opposed to today, I’m thinking about going to see (the movie) Batman.

“It (drug court) wasn’t all that hard for me. … I wanted to change.”

If Iles and Guilliatt are like most drug court graduates, the likelihood for lasting change is promising. According to 2007 numbers, only 17 percent of graduates were convicted of felonies in the three years after graduation. That compares to a national recidivism rate of 47 percent.

Guilliatt’s advice to others in the program: “Take it one day at a time. One minute at a time if you need to. And take advantage of the resources.”

Merritt, who volunteers to serve for drug court along with District Judge Karen Flowers, told the graduates they had completed a difficult task.

Drug court participants are subject to frequent drug tests, must complete substance abuse treatment, meet with drug court staff regularly, maintain employment or complete education goals.

Former Nebraska Legislator Kermit Brashear, the guest speaker, told the graduates that their success and the successes of past graduates make the court possible.

“If you (hadn’t) done it, … there would be no drug court,” he said. “… Welcome to the system.”

Reach Clarence Mabin at 473-7234 or cmabin@journalstar.com.