Warren County Adult Recovery Court Celebrates First Graduates

The Warren County Adult Recovery Court (WCARC), formerly Adult Drug Treatment Court, will hold its first Commencement for two participants on Thursday, January 2, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in Courtroom A at the Warren County Courthouse. This event is open to the public, and all community members are invited to attend and join in celebrating the success of the program’s first two graduating participants, as well as this significant milestone for the Warren County Adult Recovery Court, the County of Warren, and the Town of Front Royal.

The WCARC is an intensive diversion program for Warren County residents with a substance-use disorder involved in the judicial system. The program is intended for “high-risk, high-need” individuals, meaning they are at a high risk of recidivism indicated by a prior inability to be successful on probation and other programs and have a high need for substance use treatment. The 5-phase program is a minimum of 15 months. It involves intense supervision provided by District 11 Probation and Parole, supported by the Warren County Sheriff’s Department and Front Royal Police Department, with wraparound treatment provided by Northwestern Community Services.  Referrals are made by the public defender and other defense counsel subject to the approval of the Hon. John S. Bell, Esq., Commonwealth’s Attorney for Warren County.  Cynthia Grim of the Northern Shenandoah Valley Substance Abuse Coalition coordinates the WCARC program. The Hon. Daryl L. Funk, Circuit Court Judge, presides over the Warren County Adult Recovery Court.

In August 2023, the WCARC held its first docket, and participants began their journey toward a life of recovery. Two participants are now ready to graduate from the program, having successfully maintained over a year of sobriety, verified by weekly and randomized urine drug screening.

The purpose of the program is to rehabilitate justice-involved individuals into contributing and prosperous community members. Each of the two to-be-graduates has demonstrated this through various accomplishments, including gainful and sustained employment, receiving promotions, growing a family and bringing a substance-free baby into the world, aiding ailing parents and grandparents, reinstating suspended driver’s license, purchasing cars, filing taxes, and many more successes. Both individuals have experienced significant losses while in the program and have been able to navigate their grief with the support of the community and without relapse.

As part of the program’s final phase, participants must complete service projects to give back to the community that has assisted them throughout their recovery court journey. One to-be-graduate gathered hygiene products to give to individuals who have recently been released from incarceration. The other hosted a coat drive with Habitat for Humanity to be donated to Warren County’s Department of Social Services.

The WCARC team is proud of each individual’s preparation for commencement and cannot wait to see what they will accomplish in their new futures.

About NSVSAC

The Northern Shenandoah Valley Substance Abuse Coalition collaborates with community partners to take the lead in identifying and developing effective resources to ensure that the necessary continuum of care for substance use and addiction services is available to all members of the community in the greater Winchester, Virginia, area. Formed in 2014, the Coalition and its public and private sector partners have worked to compassionately reduce the stigma of addiction, improve access to substance use treatment services, and decrease the number of overdoses to combat the opioid epidemic in Virginia.