Recovery Court Graduates Celebrate Second Chances

While the stories of the five recent graduates of the Prince William County Adult Recovery Court differ in the details, the results of their participation remain the same: a chance at redemption.

The program aims to help people with diagnosed substance use disorders who have become involved in the criminal justice system turn their lives around.

Participants in the rigorous five-phase program work to achieve and maintain sobriety, restore relationships and make amends, find and keep stable housing and employment, build healthier ways of thinking, and engage in positive community-building activities.

People who have been assessed by the Adult Recovery Court staff as high risk/high need may be accepted into the program, provided that they plead guilty to the non-violent felonies they committed, have no gang affiliations and have no violent felony or weapons convictions in the past 10 years. Their sentencing is put on hold as they progress through the program. Once their program requirements are satisfactorily completed, participants can have their sentences reduced or dismissed.

Elmer, one of the recent recovery court graduates, told the audience gathered in the courtroom about how a challenging childhood led to substance use, and inevitably to addiction.

“As I got older, drugs became the way I escaped,” Elmer said. “The hurt, the fear, the pain, I never learned how to express. Addiction took everything from me. It took my hope. It took my peace. It separated me from my own people. There was a time when I was homeless and believed my life would never have changed.”

Elmer went on to say that the recovery court gave him the opportunity to become “honest, accountable and responsible.”

“I learned to rebuild trust, and one day at a time, to ask for help instead of hiding from my struggles. It helped me understand that real strength comes from integrity, persistence and compassion. Along this journey, I learned that recovery is never something we do alone,” Elmer said.

Judge Robert P. Coleman spoke at the ceremony and said he was proud of the program that the 31st Judicial Circuit Court has had in place since 2022.

“We all endeavor to restore integrity and compassion to the criminal justice system for individuals striving for recovery. Recovery networks lead to lives of sobriety and happiness and joy,” Coleman said. “Our recovery court prevents fatal overdoses, it strengthens families and it makes our community safer and more productive, all while saving taxpayers as much as $6,000 per participant.”

Adult recovery courts help reduce overall costs to the criminal justice system through savings by addressing substance use disorders through treatment rather than relying primarily on incarceration, according to All Rise, a national organization that supports treatment and recovery courts. Successful recovery can also reduce recidivism and the associated court and correctional costs while helping participants improve their employment opportunities and financial stability.

Vice Chair of the Board of County Supervisors and Neabsco District Supervisor Victor Angry congratulated the graduates and told them to keep people who support them close.

“I read the bios of the five of you, and I'm going to say there's a commonality to everything,” said Angry. “We all have moments in our lives where we don't make the right decision, or everything just doesn't line up right and we find ourselves facing new challenges. All of you talked about your family and you’ve made some amends, and you've got yourself back into a great place with them. Your support team is also your family.”

Later, Elmer reflected on the common bond among the graduates.

“We may have entered recovery court for different reasons,” Elmer said. “But today, we leave with something in common. We get a second chance.”

All five program graduates had their sentences dismissed.

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