LIHUE — Second chances. That was the theme Friday for the 26th graduating class of the Kauai Drug Court. Joseph Birtodaso, who has been in the drug program for 18 months, said he began his path to sobriety by “kicking
LIHUE — Second chances.
That was the theme Friday for the 26th graduating class of the Kauai Drug Court.
Joseph Birtodaso, who has been in the drug program for 18 months, said he began his path to sobriety by “kicking and screaming” but eventually learned he had to change his mind, change his behavior and push through.
“I went from being homeless on the beach to not having any future at all to being partnered with a multi-billion dollar company and being regional manager for the company,” Birtodaso said.
He faced 22 charges, many of them felonies, and more than 100 years in prison before, the Kauai Drug Court program turned his life around.
He said he’ll never forget the inspirational words Judge Kathleen Watanabe said to him one day in her courtroom.
“You are facing some pretty serious time and if you don’t pass this program, you are looking at a very detrimental life,” he said of Watanabe’s advice.
Birtodaso was one of 11 graduates honored at the Kauai Drug Court graduation ceremony Friday at the Fifth Circuit Courthouse where honorees were presented with diplomas for their achievements and congratulatory messages from Hawaii Supreme Court Associate Justice Michael Wilson and Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr.
The courtroom was filled with family, friends, members of the county council and the community who came in solidarity for the graduates.
“It’s difficult at times to make decisions that would benefit our beautiful island but at the same time if you do it from the right place, with the right purpose, with the right reason, with the right people who surround you, with the right hearts and souls, everything just kind of flows,” Caravalho said.
“It’s just another journey,” he said. “We all go through troubled times in our lives. I’m so proud of all you. Sometimes you have to step up the plate and take one step at a time. You want to go backwards, but don’t. Graduates! Awesome, but there is so much more responsibility that comes with that.”
When it came time for the graduates to give a brief history of how they ended up in the drug court program, none faltered and each proudly thanked their sponsors, their families and the court.
Many graduates said it wasn’t easy to come out of a drug-filled darkness.
Dean Brown-Aiwohi said it was “totally unimaginable” and was “like living in a nightmare.”
But since being off of drugs, he said he’s been able to take classes at Kauai Community College and has pursued a career as an electrician.
Jade Rivers said she “hit rock bottom in 2007” when she decided to experiment with ice. In less than one year, she lost her home, her full-time job, her family and her kids all to her meth addiction. She ended up living in a tent at Hanamaulu Beach Park just waiting to get her next fix until she was arrested in 2012. That’s when she started her road to recovery and never looked back.
“The Kauai Drug Court shines as an example as a way to save lives,” said Justice Wilson. “This community has very strong support that does not give up on its people.”
In the past 12 years, 171 graduates have gone through the program, which offers two graduating classes a year, Watanabe said.
“Like many of the graduates said, it’s their second chance of making it right and doing right by their family and friends,” Watanabe said. “It’s an effort that a lot of agencies participate in. I think it’s one of the most successful community projects that we have. It’s such a joy to preside over drug court. I’m an optimist by nature and I like seeing the good in people and having them exercise that opportunity in a second chance.”
