2 graduates celebrated at 25th Recovery Court Commencement

Thomas McNeil Jr. and Shabazz Mote graduated from the Belknap County Recovery Court program as the 51st and 52nd graduates in Belknap Superior Court in Laconia on Tuesday, the 25th such ceremony. Recovery court allows people incarcerated or on probation experiencing substance misuse to enter a recovery intervention program for a minimum of two years. Recovery court is generally 12-18 months of treatment, followed by continuing care after graduation that can last between 6 and 12 months. Currently, about 40 participants are enrolled in the program. Recovery court participants are meant to have a job, secure housing and have rebuilt personal relationships as well as cut off harmful ones. McNeil started his program in February 2022, and Mote started in March 2023. Horizons Counseling Center, the county attorney's office, the public defender's office, District and Superior courts, the jail, the Department of Corrections, and the sheriff's department all play a role in the program. Judge James Carroll presides over Recovery Court. McNeil and Mote gave speeches during their commencement to family, friends, co-workers, pastors and sponsors. “I've been able to accomplish things through sobriety that I never thought I could. I've learned a lot about myself in these last couple of years. I'm dependable. I do things when I say I'm going to, for the most part, and I'm a work in progress,” McNeil said. “I guess progress is better than perfection.”