Tulsa Drug Court Program Helps Woman Overcome Addiction And Tragedy

It's the moment Holly Jones has waited two and a half years for.

She graduated from the Tulsa County Drug court program Friday morning after years of addiction, spending a majority of her adult life in and out of jail.

But it's her most recent struggles that granted her a standing ovation at the ceremony.

"My mother was diagnosed with brain cancer; that was in the middle of February,” she said. “We went through brain surgery and got her home. Two days later, at 4:47 a.m. in the morning, I got the most horrifying phone call any mother could ever get. My 20-year-old son had been brutally murdered in a home invasion."

Now, just a few months later, Jones has managed to stay sober and finish the program anyway. It was one of the reasons she was asked to share her story.

"Without the support of the program and without the support of my family and friends I couldn't have made it," she stated.

And it's graduates like Jones who program director Tammy Wescott says keep the program successful.

“Statistics show that incarcerating those type of individuals only makes things worse,” Wescott explained. “So, this is a program that requires accountability and a lot of support and sobriety, and a lot of requirements to get through it."

That's exactly what graduates like Jones are doing.

"I've got it,” said Jones. “I'm still on my feet, thanks to the program."