LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Central Kentucky is right in the middle of graduation season. The University of Kentucky had theirs already. Fayette County Schools are coming up soon. Wednesday evening, though, it was a different kind of a graduation in downtown Lexington.
Inside the Kentucky Theater Wednesday night, there was a lot of joy.
"Oh my gosh! What we're doing here is having a graduation," said Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton.
The road to this particular graduation, though, was paved with more struggle than most. These people are graduating from Fayette County's Mental Health Court. It's a program for people who've been charged with a crime and who also have a diagnosed mental health condition or substance use disorder. Instead of going to jail, they can choose this diversion program. Gorton said more than 50% of people who've graduated from the program have stayed sober.
"These are horrific situations and these are people who now have hope for a good future and that's what we want every day for people, right?" Gorton said
They move through several phases of the program, working with supervisors to get onto a better path.
"If we're all moving forward together, success is inevitable," Chief Lawrence Weathers of the Lexington Police Department told the graduates.
Weathers said he wants to see a shift in how people view addiction and mental health.
"I think it's time for everybody in the community to start realizing that these are health problems and they need to be addressed differently. You can't just keep locking people away, expecting it to go away," Weathers said.
As this group graduates from the program, Weathers wants to be sure they know they have a place here.
"You are better with us, but more importantly, we are better with you," he told them.
