YOUNGSTOWN — The first two graduates of the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court’s SCORE Court were recognized and honored during a ceremony Wednesday.

SCORE stands for Second Chance Offender Re-entry, and its goal is to help people transition from incarceration back into society.

It is modeled after other specialty courts across Ohio, such as drug court, mental health court and honor court in offering treatment and support to help people overcome issues that led them to be charged with a criminal offense.

Judge Anthony Donofrio, who runs the SCORE Court, told a large courtroom full of people that SCORE court helps people “by providing support, education, access to treatment and mental health services, housing, job training and employment. The re-entry team will monitor a participant’s progress through regular appearances before the judge.”

“Team members will staff collaboratively and review client progress while providing team resources and support,” he said.

The program has 30 participants. SCORE Court lasts between two and five years, Donofrio said, noting that “The better you do, the sooner you will get out.”

One reason the SCORE Court is needed is because 44% of people who left state prison were arrested at least once in their first year after release, the judge said. “Within nine years of release, five of six of those previously in state prison had been rearrested,” he said.

Research indicates that the keys to success for those leaving prison are housing, employment, family reunification, mental and physical health treatment “and meeting other critical needs,” the judge said.

There are 255 specialized docket courts, such as drug courts, certified by the Ohio Supreme Court. But there are only 10 reentry courts like the Mahoning County SCORE Court, Donofrio said.

He addressed remarks to the 30 participants in the program attending the ceremony, saying, “Don’t let your past actions define you. You are so much more than the actions that brought you here to begin with. What matters is what you do now, where you decide to go from here.”

He pointed to the first two graduates, Austin Swiger and Cyle Barnes, saying all of the participants, including Swiger and Barnes, “have it in you to overcome the adversities life throws at you. With hope and perseverance, all of you have what it takes to overcome life’s challenges and the possibility of a bright future.”

He urged them to “stay away from naysayers and maintain a positive outlook.” He said the participants and SCORE court team have seen people experience setbacks in the past year.

“Some of you bounced back and are moving forward in a positive direction. Others have not. Those individuals were resistant to change and refused to accept the help and opportunities we attempted to provide you with here,” he said.

In his remarks, Barnes, 26, who began in the SCORE Court in December of 2023, said he was “a kid” and “on a bad road” when he got into trouble.

As for the SCORE Court, Barnes said: “I know at the beginning, I didn’t want to abide by the rules, but it turned out good.”

Donofrio thanked his bailiff, Andrea Paventi, for being instrumental in setting up the SCORE Court. She has worked in the addiction and recovery business for 30 years, he said. “She has a great understanding of the issues the participants in this program have.”

He also thanked a long list of people from a wide array of organizations that make up the SCORE Court team, including people from the Mahoning County prosecutor’s office, Adult Parole Authority, Travco Behavioral Health and First Step Recovery, Community Corrections Association, Homes For Good Resource and Referral Center and Route 1 Re-Entry Coalition, Flying HIGH, Thrive Peer Support, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities and the Brightview and New Day Recovery organizations.