Drug Court 'Ladies Day' Features Oprah-Like Judge
One day a week, the drug court in Pinellas County, Florida, focuses exclusively on women. Funded by a $900,000 federal grant, the “Ladies Day” program encourages women, who officials say are more open to talking about themselves and accepting guidance when men aren’t around, to make needed changes in their lives that establish a basis for beating the addiction that has brought them down.
And if encouragement doesn’t work, Judge Dee Anna Farnell, 56, will jail them to get their attention, reports the St. Petersburg Times.
Among the success stories in the year-old woman-focused program, which reportedly may be the first of its kind, is Norma Lanthier, also 56. First arrested for driving under the influence 20 years ago, she has been clean for 15 months and is expected to graduate on Tuesday.
“She is that program,” says Lanthier of the judge, who is described by the newspaper as an Oprah Winfrey-like persona. “She gets up close and personal and shakes your hand. She has people clap for you when you accomplish something.”
