Judge Matia Retires From Drug Court
After 16 years of dedicated service, Judge David T. Matia has stepped down as a Drug Court judge.
Judge Matia joined the Common Pleas Bench in 1999 and became the General Division’s first Drug Court Judge when the specialty docket began in 2009. There are now four Drug Court dockets, and Judge Matia has most recently been presiding over the Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) docket that primarily serves individuals with an opioid use disorder.
“It’s been an honor to lead Drug Court over the last 16 years. We’ve grown from one docket to four. We’ve served thousands, returning them to healthy lives and their families. It’s been a privilege to help people better themselves and put rudders on their ships,” says Judge Matia.
The goal of the Drug Court program is to break the cycle of recidivism by addressing an offender’s drug dependency and criminogenic risk through evidence-based treatment and programming.
“On behalf of the Common Pleas Court and our greater community, I thank Judge Matia and offer him our deepest appreciation,” says Administrative and Presiding Judge Brendan J. Sheehan. “When Judge Matia was appointed to preside over the Drug Court he had no idea how challenging the work would be. He rose to the occasion, was a student of best practices, a leader of multi-disciplinary teams, and an advocate for change within our community.”
Judge Matia presided over his final Drug Court graduation on Wednesday, July 16.
