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After Beating Drugs, Graduates Have Hope For Another Chance

CHICAGO (CBS) -- This time of year, millions of people earn their diploma, and for many it's a sign of an end to their school years.

On Thursday, graduates of a different kind showed that the ceremony wasn't not an end, but, rather, a beginning.

Vince Gerasole reports, the criminal courts building isn't a likely place for happy endings

On Thursday, drug addicts who completed the rehabilitation and alternative probation program, were given a second chance.

Those who enroll in the program submit to two years of intense counseling and community service. Once they beat their addiction, their record is cleared.

It's helped Alethea King see her daughters again.

And Angela Washington get a job at the CTA.

So many were proud here on this day, of changes they never thought they could make but did.

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