WHAT: Drug Court Commencement Ceremony

WHEN: Wednesday, March 15, 11:30AM

WHERE: Moultrie Courthouse, 500 Indiana Avenue NW, Courtroom C-10

WHO: Kemp Chester, Acting Director of National Drug Control Policy Judge Wendell P. Gardner, Jr., DC Superior Court (Presiding Judge, Drug Court) Cliff Keenan, Director, Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia

Drug Court is a special court calendar designed to achieve a reduction in recidivism and substance abuse among nonviolent substance-abusing defendants. The program also strives to increase the defendant’s likelihood of successful habilitation through early, continuous, and intense judicially-supervised treatment, mandatory periodic drug testing, community supervision, and use of appropriate sanctions and other rehabilitation services.

Eligible drug-addicted persons may request to be transferred to Drug Court in lieu of traditional criminal justice system case processing. Drug Courts keep individuals in treatment while supervising them closely. While in drug court, participants are provided with intensive treatment and other services they require to get and stay clean and sober and held accountable by the Drug Court judge for meeting their obligations to the court, society, themselves and their families. They are also tested for drug use and required to appear in court frequently, so that the judge may review their progress. Participants are rewarded for doing well or sanctioned when they do not live up to their obligations.

Kemp Chester

Kemp Chester has been the Associate Director for the National Heroin Coordination Group at ONDCP since October 2015. Before coming to ONDCP, Mr. Chester was the Senior Director for National Security and Intelligence at a private sector consulting firm in Washington, DC Prior to that, he retired from the Army after 27 years of service, his last tour being at the Defense Intelligence Agency where he was the Deputy Director for Intelligence of the Americas Regional Center and Chief of the Office of Counternarcotics Worldwide. Mr. Chester is a graduate of The Citadel and has Masters Degrees from the University of South Carolina, the National War College, the Naval College of Command and Staff, and the School for Advanced Military Studies.

NOTE: The judge will be available for interviews.

Participants may be photographed or interviewed with their permission.

Please coordinate with on-site Court or PSA staff for assistance identifying participants.