“This program turned my resentments into forgiveness, my despair into hope and my fears into courage.” 

“This program not only saved my life but gave me life.”

 “Today I am worthy of being loved and capable of loving others.”

“This program allowed me to live with wide open love, unafraid.”

“To imagine that something beautiful could come out of this wreckage.”

“Hello, I’m sobriety…All the things you were looking for, in the bottle and the glass. I will make them possible. And they’ll be yours at last.”

“I wake up every day with a new outlook on life and a new drive in my heart. I had a friend once tell me he wanted the “dash” between the year he was born and the year he died on his tombstone to mean something. I thought that was an odd idea. Now I truly want my “dash” to have meaning.”

At the recent graduation of Comal County's Challenge Court, the court paid special tribute to a long-standing community volunteer, Mrs. Mary Breitung (pictured left). Mrs. Breitung has spent years of service in the criminal justice system, most recently with the Comal County Challenge Court. Diligently attending Court review over the years, making herself available to the participants with a listening ear and a kind smile, the program thanked Mary with a special plaque for her service. The plaque read:

In honor of nearly twelve years of genuine and untiring dedicated service to the citizens of Comal County and the Challenge Court. Without your willingness to serve our justice system attending court twice a week since 2007, our county, state, and nation would be less safe. Your willingness to champion and individual's effort to eliminate the effects of addiction leaves both an endearing and enduring footprint in Comal County, Texas.

Mrs. Breitung said she will continue serving the community in other way. Her contribution to the Challenge Court will not be forgotten. 

In the News

"Drive high, get a DUI."

That's the message of a new ad campaign launched by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is seeking to spread awareness of the dangers of drugged driving.

Out of Control: Houston is ‘ground zero’ for drunken and drugged driving
(Houston Chronicle,9/19/2018)
Drivers impaired by booze and drugs are dying — and killing — in the Houston area at a startling rate, an epidemic unchecked by police, prosecutors or public-awareness campaigns.

Reminder for recipients of Office of the Governor specialty court awards, you are now required to provide notification of the Ombudsman Pilot Program to new and existing program participants. More information can be found under the DWI Court section in the Form Bank here.

National Drug Court Institute (NDCI) is offering personalized technical assistance to adult drug courts, co-occurring disorder courts, DWI courts and veterans treatment courts. To learn more about this opportunity visit: https://www.ndci.org/resources/training/ta/ 

Last minute opportunities!
Texas Impaired Driving Task Force is seeking nominations for the inaugural Texas Impaired Driving Safety Champion Award. For more information can be found here.

The Correctional Management Institute of Texas at Sam Houston State University, on behalf of all Texas Specialty Courts, will receive grant funding from the Criminal Justice Division (CJD), Office of the Governor, for training stipends to attend specialized court training. The training opportunities covered by these stipends are for the 2019 Texas Association of Specialty Courts (TASC) Annual Training Conference in Galveston, Texas, April 10-12, 2019. More information can be found here .

Just for fun!
Fashion Brought to Justice: A guide to accessorizing your robe

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