Prince William County Adult Recovery Court Helps Participants Rebuild Their Lives

The Prince William County Adult Recovery Court offers people facing felony charges the chance to avoid incarceration, achieve sobriety, rebuild relationships and become contributing members of the community. 

Participants in the program can have their sentences reduced, or even dismissed, after completing the five-phase program, which requires them to achieve sobriety, adopt more functional thinking and behavior patterns, secure stable housing, maintain employment and engage in restorative activities. 

Five participants recently celebrated their accomplishments during a graduation ceremony in Judge Kimberly A. Irving’s courtroom at the Prince William County Judicial Center.  

The program, which was launched in July 2022, brings together the 31st Judicial Circuit Court, the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the Prince William, County Office of the Public Defender, the Prince William County Community Services Board, Prince William County Criminal Justice Services, the Prince William County Sheriff’s Office, the Prince William County Police Department, Prince William County Adult Detention Center, the Virginia Department of Corrections District  35 Probation and Parole, and numerous community partners. The program can take up to 18 months to complete. 

Recent graduate David Ledon called the program “phenomenal” and life changing,” saying he might be in jail if not for recovery court.  

“I didn’t know that over the last 18 months that this program wasn’t only going to keep me from ever going back to prison, it was going to change my pattern, my thought process,” said Ledon, who spent nearly 18 years of his life in and out of incarceration prior to being placed on the recovery docket. “It was going to change everything.”  

Ledon said that while life's challenges remain, sobriety helps him face them.  

“The pressures are still there. The stressors are still there. Life is still happening, but today, through the program, I have learned to deal with life on my terms and keep pushing forward without making the wrong choices,” Ledon said. “It’s amazing to be able to do something different with my life.”  

Graduate William Ventura said the program helped him learn to manage his addiction.  

“I learned to keep from using in my daily life. I went from living on the streets to having this court,” Ventura said. “This is the longest I’ve stayed clean, and I want to continue working on myself to stay positive not only for myself, but for my mom.”  

Laura Morris, another graduate, expressed gratitude for the attorneys, social workers, counselors and everyone else involved in helping her succeed.  

“I’m thankful for this opportunity and this new start,” Morris said. “I’m proud of myself, but obviously, I didn’t get here on my own. Left to my own devices, I’d still be in a jail cell. It’s a constant reassurance that I was capable of complying with such a structured program.”  

Morris, who lost her mother to cancer five days after entering the program, said she might have “gone off the deep end” without recovery court. 

“I’m not aiming for perfect,” Morris said. “I will be continuously working toward learning to cope. Every day I find something to live for, find sobriety and to live my life with integrity. I’ll make good use of my time. I am not my crimes today. For the justice system to recognize that is remarkable.”  

Judge Kimberly A. Irving said she would miss the graduates’ bi-weekly appearances in her courtroom.  

“This is an amazing group. I’m honestly going to miss all five of you because you brought something to our Thursdays together, and we’re all better for having heard your stories and watching your success,” Irving said 

Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Alexander Brandler said the program has a perfect record. 

“Every single person who has gone through what they have gone through has become a productive member of the community, and that is how I think we keep the community safe,” Brandler said of the 11 people who have graduated from the program. 

Brandler then moved to dismiss the charges for all the graduates, and Judge Irving accepted the motion.  

People interested in the Adult Treatment Court can contact Prince William County Recovery Court Coordinator Sarah Allen at [email protected] or 703-792-6258.