So he walked.

Depending on where he needed to go, he walked from Walnut Hill to Atmore, from Flomaton to Atmore, and then from Flomaton to Brewton.

“It’s a wonderful testament to the dedication he had to his recovery,” said Judge Bradley Byrne, who oversees Escambia County’s drug court, before giving Hockett his certificate signifying Hockett’s graduation from the court diversion program.

But the most important document earned by Hockett and his two fellow graduates — Alice Grantham and Christopher Jay — was the dismissal of their drug cases.

Escambia County drug court officials, law enforcement and family members celebrated drug court graduation Friday, known as National Drug Court Commencement Day because of the 20th anniversary of the first drug court, founded in Miami.

Drug court uses an accountability system of counseling, treatment and random drug testing to divert drug offenders from jail and get their lives back on track. The program is designed to last a year, although many participants take longer to get through the phases because they must start over if they backslide. Short-term trips to jail are among the penalties for failed drug or Alcohol tests.

For graduates, though, the rate of success is much higher than that of offenders who go to jail. Sixty to 80 percent of people who leave prison re-offend within a year, Byrne said. The recidivism rate is 40 percent for those on probation.

For drug court graduates, the rate is just 17 percent.

“This is a concept that works,” Byrne said.

Byrne said drug court was founded because law enforcement and court officials “got tired of seeing the same people over and over.”

“The core problem was drug addiction and abuse,” he said.

Escambia County’s drug court was among the first in Alabama. Nationwide, there are more than 2,300 drug courts.

Friday’s graduates included:

• Hockett, who Byrne said has shown a tremendous change in attitude through his time in the program. “When he came in here he was really still a teenager,” Byrne said. “Now he’s a man.”

Clean for 20 months, Hockett is considering plans to enter the military. “He’s accepted his role as a father, and he has great plans for the future,” Byrne said.

• Jay, who also lacked transportation but found a way to get to his drug court obligations and to work. “We have noticed a maturity in him” as the program has continued, Byrne said. “One of the things he mentioned about himself is that he thought about relapse, but the reason he didn’t is that he was thinking about his kids.”

• Grantham, who started drug court in January 2008 and never tested positive for drugs or Alcohol at any time while in the program. One of her goals, Byrne said, was restoration of her family. “She’s able to be the kind of mother she wants to be,” he said. “The change has been remarkable. It’s a great gift to her family.”

Byrne also thanked the drug court staff, law enforcement, attorneys, courthouse staff, staff at Southwest Alabama Mental Health and other supporters for the work they have done to maintain drug court.

“This is a multi-disciplinary approach,” he said.

Sheriff Grover Smith thanked Byrne for his leadership and for establishing drug court.

Smith said the tough fight in the war against drugs often makes law enforcement officials want to give up.

“We know in our hearts that will never work,” he said. “We want to thank you for what you do and what your staff does,” he said. “You’ve given more help to people than you realize. We appreciate you giving us hope that there is an alternative to the re-arresting and re-arresting.”