Commonwealth's attorney announces adult drug court program

Drug-abusers who authorities say wouldn’t be criminals except for their addictions might get another shot at a drug-free life by participating in a new intensive drug court treatment program in Washington County, Va.

The program was announced Thursday, when the United Way of Russell and Washington Counties contributed $10,000 toward start-up costs. This money is in addition to $10,000 from the Washington County Board of Supervisors, and a total of $20,000 worth of drug seizure money from the county Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

The program will address the needs of nonviolent drug users, said Commonwealth’s Attorney Dennis Godfrey.

“This is a voluntary program,” he said. “They have to want to want help. We’re dealing with people who, but for the drug addiction, would be law-abiding citizens.”

Those in the program will undergo an intensive personalized treatment, Godfrey said, including random daily drug screenings, drug and alcohol therapy, mandatory curfews and possibly vocational training to help them land a job once they are rehabilitated.

Those participating must have pleaded guilty to their drug charges before enrolling. If they successfully complete the program, they will not go to jail, Godfrey said. The program can last between one and two years, he said.

“We started July 15,” Godfrey said. “That’s when we accepted our first participant. Two more have been accepted and will start within the next week.”

He said about five people should be able to be in the program at one time.

The initiative is a community-wide one, Godfrey said, and is needed because of the rising substance abuse problem in Southwest Virginia, and the money it will save taxpayers by keeping those drug-users out of jail.

“Even if we can do two [people] a year, we’re saving between $40,000 to $50,000 of the taxpayer’s money,” Godfrey said. “And, [we’re] getting these people to be productive citizens again, to do what they would otherwise be doing except for the terrible drug scourge.”

United Way is pitching in because the organization is working to become more active in the community, said Travis Staton, United Way’s executive director.

“We’re really trying to start addressing root problems of issues so they don’t reoccur,” Staton said. “Substance abuse in Southwest Virginia is huge and it’s becoming more and more. … There are so many; we’re trying to work with them to help address [the problem.] Instead of locking them up, we’re trying to take a step further and [help them] lose that addiction and be substance abuse-free.”

According to estimates, every person who participates in the program will save the county $30,000, since they won’t be in jail, he added.

Officials hope federal funding will kick in soon, after the county’s request to be designated a drug court by the Supreme Court of Virginia is accepted.

Contributing drug seizure assets to the program is a good use of those funds, said Sheriff Fred Newman.

“We’re taking money seized as a result of drug investigations, and turning that money around to a good use to hopefully keep people off drugs,” Newman said.

He said he hopes the program will help break the drug cycle, and the petty crimes people commit to support their drug habits.

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