It started as a grassroots effort, a way to help those experiencing substance use and mental health disorders who found themselves on the wrong side of the law.

The Hardin County Drug Court recently celebrated its 25th anniversary with an event to honor the milestone and the program's newest graduates.

We want to believe that if you want the chance to change that, you have that opportunity to do so through Hardin County treatment courts.

I've been to a couple of treatment facilities and I've been to jail a handful of times.

I made my mind up this last time I was in jail that I wanted to do something different.

So I decided to take drug court.

The court is the intersection between a criminal justice case, a criminal charge, and a responsibility for treatment.

If you are not successful in a treatment court program, you will be going to jail or prison.

I took the court mainly ready just to get out of jail.

It's like my get out of jail card.

But I already had my mind made up that I wanted to do something different that I did not want to use anymore, that I wanted to be a father, that I wanted to be reliable, and that I wanted to be there for the people that mean the most to me.

They brought more elements to the table than their regular treatment facility.

We have two district court judges that work.

We have two circuit court judges that work for drug court.

Then we have mental health court and we have veterans treatment court.

If you are successful, you get life back and you get charges expunged.

So we don't talk to us about clean drug tests, but clean criminal history and a clean slate to really get started in the future.

Seeing the legal side and meeting all the legal people that's involved them cleaning off your record.

People that have also graduated the program that are also teaching in the program.

So they have that experience.

It's just it's just a beautiful thing.

The Hardin County Drug Court has served nearly 2000 people in the 25 years it's been around.