Press Release |
After Jonathan Porter was released on bond for a drug possession charge back in 2021, he realized it was time to change his life’s direction. He was the father of a baby girl, and he needed to be a better man.
“It didn’t resonate to me that I had a little one at home until I got released from jail,” said Porter, of Chicago’s South Side. “I thought, ‘Dang, she’s home… I can’t make those same mistakes.” The arrest wasn’t Porter’s first, but he was determined to make it his last.
Porter’s attorney referred him to the Circuit Court of Cook County’s new SEED program. Short for “Supporting Education and Employment Development,” SEED is a deferred prosecution program that serves young adults, aged 18-26, charged with selling or intending to sell illegal drugs.
Porter, 31, said SEED helped him turn his life around and see his own potential. Next Tuesday, he is planning to go back to SEED court to talk to 10 new graduates about his experience.
SEED will hold a commencement ceremony for the graduates at 2 p.m., Tuesday, April 7, at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, 2600 S. California Ave, in courtroom 3A15. The media and public are welcome.
“We are proud of these ten SEED graduates, and of all the individuals who have turned their lives around through deferred prosecution programs,” said Chief Judge Charles S. Beach, II. “SEED, Restorative Justice Community Courts and our problem-solving courts all help individuals who have had encounters with the law become productive members of their community.”
Judge Daryl J. Jones, who presides over the SEED Court, said it shows what’s possible when young, emerging adults are given support and opportunities to turn their lives around.
“Many of them step up, take it seriously and begin to envision a brighter future for themselves,” Judge Jones said. “The graduates’ successful completion of the program reflects not only their hard work, but also demonstrates the impact of being offered guidance and another chance to succeed.”
SEED is a 13-month, pre-plea county-wide program focused on education, cognitive behavioral therapy and job training and placement. Eligible participants must have a non-violent background. Upon successful completion of the program, defendants are eligible to have their arrest records expunged.
SEED has had 407 participants enrolled since it started in late 2020. Last year, it had 87 participants enrolled and 65 graduates. Eighty participants found substantive employment just last year. SEED is in partnership with the Heartland Alliance.
Porter said the program makes people accountable for their behavior and allows them to see a future beyond their present life and neighborhood. He now works as a chef in a downtown restaurant, and keeps getting motivation from his daughter, now six years old. “I’m really thankful for her, and for the SEED program,” Porter said. “Who I am today came a lot from them, and from their believing in me.”
Media Contact: ocj.press@cookcountyil.gov
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