Russell County Residents Celebrate Sobriety, Avoid Prison Time, Virginia 2023

LEBANON, VIRGINIA – In a ceremony at the 29th Judicial Circuit in Lebanon, Va., three Russell County residents celebrated their sobriety and completion of the minimum 12-month-long program of intensive supervision in the county’s drug court.

United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy addressed the graduates, praising the drug court model, which he said is heavily invested in by the government. The Bureau of Justice Assistance awarded nine drug court grant applications in 2012, totaling over $5 million, with Virginia receiving $1.5 million to support the critical, evidence-based crime-preventing tools.

Virginia Secretary Decker echoed Heaphy’s sentiments, stating that many Virginia communities have embraced drug treatment courts, which can foster change in the lives of those addicted to drugs and help them become productive members of society. Decker credited the success of the programs to the commitment of all parties involved, including offenders, families, friends, employers, communities, and professional and volunteer staff.

Russell County’s Adult Drug Treatment Court began in 2010, with a team comprised of Judge Michael L. Moore, Commonwealth’s Attorney Brian Patton, defense attorneys, probation officials, the Sheriff, Chief of Police, and Cumberland Mountain Community Services serving as a support mechanism and administrative oversight.

Drug treatment courts are an alternative to traditional court adjudication of drug offenders, requiring selected defendants to undergo extensive counseling, alcohol and drug treatment, and random testing, cemented by rigorous accountability standards.

The effectiveness of adult Drug Courts is not a matter of conjecture, said Douglas B. Marlowe, Chief of Science, Law and Policy, in a recent National Association of Drug Court Professionals study. It is the result of more than two decades of exhaustive scientific research.

The Virginia General Assembly adopted the Drug Treatment Court Act in 2004, and there are currently 36 operating drug courts in the Commonwealth, with the Virginia Supreme Court having administrative oversight.

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