SEE ALSO: Lynchburg family searching for kidney donor for their 19-month-old daughter “The Piedmont Adult Drug Court is extremely grateful to The Harvest Foundation for this significant grant, which will help us to fulfill our mission to reduce drug abuse and criminal recidivism in the local community,” said Martinsville Circuit Court Chief Judge G. The program is a minimum of 12 months, with extended stays considered based on the participant’s progress.įollowing completion, the judge can rule in three ways: dismissal of the original charge reduction of the original charge to a lesser charge with no active jail time to serve or a suspended sentence. The Piedmont Adult Drug Court is a rigorous program with pending drug or drug-related charges. “I am so grateful to The Harvest Foundation for helping to support the Piedmont Adult Drug Court as we work to provide intensive wrap-around services to those suffering from substance use disorders so they can find lasting recovery.” “Having grown up in this community, I have seen the damage that substance use disorders have on individuals, their families, and our community,” said Kelly Koebel, senior assistant director of clinical services at Piedmont Community Services. SEE ALSO: Virginia General Assembly reconvenes to discuss budget, Youngkin amendments The Department of Social Services reports that 60 percent of children in the foster care system have parents who have abused illegal substances. Law enforcement estimates that 80 percent of all arrests are drug-related, and re-incarceration rates for drug-related offenders average 70 percent. Per 100,000, Virginia’s average is 27.1 compared to Henry County at 31.7 and Martinsville at 56.7. Research shows that drug courts reduce crime and affect real and positive change in people’s lives.”Īccording to the Office of the Medical Examiner for Virginia, drug overdoses in Martinsville and Henry County run higher than state averages. “People who complete drug court programs are significantly less likely to be arrested again compared to those sentenced within the traditional system. “We feel this program is one of those solutions - it bridges the gap between our criminal justice system and treatment, a key step in long-term sobriety,” she said. SEE ALSO: LPD looking for man who failed to appear in court on bomb/burn threat charges Sheryl Agee, senior operating officer at Harvest, said it’s part of the foundation’s mission to the community to research and fund innovative solutions that address barriers hindering people from a positive future. The study showed that the program “reduced recidivism by as much as 40 percent and resulted, on average, in public savings of $6,744 per participant.” The National Institute of Justice studied the drug court model for a decade. The court, established in October 2021, admitted its first participants in April 2022. This week, The Harvest Foundation announced it will invest $336,480 over the next three years to support startup costs for the Piedmont Adult Drug Court program.
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