Nathan Smith was one of the first people to enter a new Fayette County treatment court for people with a diagnosed mental illness.

During a recent court hearing, Smith told a judge that he had been "clean" for 57 days, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. The judge replied it was about the best he had ever seen Smith look. The courtroom clapped as Smith grinned.

Participants in the treatment court agree to a two-year diversion program that focuses on treatment and recovery instead of jail time.

It is one of four courts in Kentucky that focuses on treatment instead of jail time for people with mental illness, the newspaper reports.

In its first eight months, 21 people enrolled in the diversion program. Eighteen were still in the program in early December.