Richmond Adult Drug Treatment Court commencement ceremony to be held on November 8
The Richmond City Circuit,
located in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit will hold a commencement ceremony on
Friday, November 8, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. at the Richmond Police Academy, 1202
Graham Road, Richmond, Virginia. The Court will recognize 13 participants who
have successfully completed the 18-month Richmond Adult Drug Treatment Court
program. This event is open to the public.
Event speakers will include:
Presiding Judges C.N Jenkins Jr. and W. Reilly Marchant and Dr. Peter Coleman of
the Coleman Institute, who specializes in providing prevention, screening,
intervention, and treatment for substance use and addiction.
The Richmond Adult Drug
Treatment Court program provides treatment and supervision services to
non-violent drug defendants instead of requiring them to serve an active jail
sentence. In exchange for successful completion of the treatment program, the
court may dismiss the original charge, terminate the defendant from probation,
or reduce a felony to a misdemeanor charge. Drug courts are an important
component of criminal justice reform, designed to address the underlying causes
of criminal behavior by focusing on treatment rather than punishment.
The Richmond Adult Drug
Court is a multi-phase program that includes random and frequent drug tests,
incentives for positive behavior and graduated sanctions. Those sanctions
include short term incarceration periods for failure to meet the program
requirements.
The Drug Court team promotes
recovery through a coordinated response to a client’s dependency upon alcohol
and substances. Team members review each individual case and work together in a
collaborative manner. The Richmond Adult Drug Court monitors non-violent
offenders with substance use disorders who have pending cases in Richmond’s
Circuit Court. Offenders volunteer for the program and participate only after
approval from the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney. Each participant must meet
all program requirements, which include maintaining gainful employment and
abstinence from drugs, alcohol and crime, to successfully complete the program.
The participants are also required to attend regular Drug Court hearings in
Circuit Court, self-help recovery meetings and group and individual counseling
sessions with licensed substance abuse clinicians. In addition, they must
perform community service, all while maintaining other obligations at home and
work. This integration of court, probation and treatment services leads to
higher retention rates in treatment and lower crime and drug use rates
following program completion.
For more information, contact
Gloria Jones or Tanisha Moseley with Richmond Adult Drug Court at 804-646-3756 or
804-646-3655, respectively.
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