Family, drug court graduation give mother reason to smile

Tara Roweton runs to her son Jaxon Barnett after speaking at commencement exercises for family dependency drug court at the Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City Thursday, May 23, 2013. Roweton's mother, Holly DeForest, holds Jaxon.

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY Not long ago, Tara Roweton didn't have the luxury of being awoken by the small hands of her young son.

She smiled, talking about it Thursday, recounting the way the 18-month-old likes to cup her face in his hands and greet her with "Hi!" She also smiled knowing he was there Thursday when she graduated from family dependency drug court sober for 11 months after an ongoing struggle with drug addiction.

"It feels great," Roweton said of being able to graduate with the support of her family. "I don't want to say all the hard work is paying off, but it is. It's kind of a confirmation that things are going right and that things will work out. It's kind of an overwhelming, joyous type feeling."

Roweton was one of nine graduates who were awarded certificates for completing family dependency drug court, along with two others from juvenile drug court.

The event is usually the culmination of up to a year in treatment and court hearings in which parents who have temporarily lost their children to drug use are able to make their way back to them.

Approximately 140 parents participate each year, according to Don Leither, drug court coordinator for the 3rd District Juvenile Court. Sixty percent of the parent participants complete the program. Of those who complete the program, 90 percent are reunited with their children.

"It's really exciting," Leither said. "You see parents and kids reunified. That's what it's all about."

Judge Christine Decker said that while the theme for the 2013 National Drug Court Month emphasized the budget solutions the drug courts provide, she felt Utah's theme should be something different.

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Family, drug court graduation give mother reason to smile