Press Release  Uxbridge District Court hosts graduation for its Intensive Probation Supervision and Treatment Program

Uxbridge — Five people-- four women and one man, ages 22 to 30-- who just a year ago were at a high-risk to overdose, will celebrate their recovery and completion of the Uxbridge District Court Intensive Probation Supervision and Treatment Program at a graduation ceremony on Tuesday, May 22,   noon, at the court, 261 South Main Street.

The three-year-old Intensive Probation Supervision Program is one of two initiative of its kind in the Worcester County area.  The other is at East Brookfield District Court. The program features four phases, each phase lasting three months.  Program participants must be non-violent adult offenders with drug-related charges. The initiative includes probation supervision, regular court appearances before a judge, substance abuse treatment counseling, random drug testing, and attendance at Alcohol Anonymous and/or Narcotic Anonymous, referrals for life skills training, vocational training, parenting programs, educational advancement and job placement.

Michelle, a 29-year-old mother of three, said the program “saved my life.”

“They gave me a counselor, access to a doctor, and constant encouragement along the way. They did not treat me like a criminal. They treated me like a person who needed help,” she said.

Among the Treatment Program’s team members are Uxbridge District Court Probation, Clerk Magistrate, Committee for Public Counsel Services, the Worcester District Attorney’s Office, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Department, Northbridge Police Detective Sergeant John Ouillette, as well as local treatment providers such as Anne Ashe of Harrington Hospital.

“The Uxbridge District Court Intensive Probation Supervision and Treatment Program is a collaborative effort involving numerous agencies. It is our collective goal to make a major impact and improve the quality of life in Southern Worcester County and the Blackstone Valley,” said Chief Probation Officer Patrick Foley.

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