By: Colleen Kosinski

A courtroom is not a place where you expect to find scenes of celebration and tears of joy. Unless, of course, it’s drug court. This May, drug courts throughout North Carolina will join more than 4,000 such programs nationwide in celebrating National Drug Court Month.

This year alone, more than 150,000 individuals nationwide who entered the justice system due to addiction will receive lifesaving treatment and the chance to repair their lives, reconnect with their families, and find long-term recovery. National Drug Court Month is a celebration of the lives restored by drug court, and it sends the powerful message that these programs must be expanded to reach more people in need. 

More than 30 years ago, the first drug court opened its doors with a simple premise: Rather than continue to allow individuals with long histories of addiction and crime to cycle through the justice system at great expense to the public, use the leverage of the court to keep them engaged in treatment long enough to be successful.

Today, drug courts and other treatment courts have proven that a combination of accountability and compassion saves lives while also saving valuable resources and reducing exorbitant criminal justice costs. During the month of May, the 8th Judicial Family Accountability and Recovery Court (FARC) will celebrate 5 participants who have completed the year- long family drug treatment court in Lenoir County.  

A current FARC participant temporarily left our program in 2021 to enter a residential substance use facility located hours from our city.  During that time the participant was able to continue to participate in FARC sessions through virtual check-ins.  This allowed the FARC team to show their support from afar and reinforced our commitment to the participant’s recovery.  

After being at the facility for around six months the participant returned to our program, while living in a local transitional house, the Women's House of Hope.  This participant has thrived in her environment and in our program.  She attends treatment, drug court sessions, drug testing, and works full-time, and hopes to begin on-line classes from our local community college during her non-working hours. 

This participant has completed all the phases of our drug treatment court and has become self-sufficient.  She recently found stable housing and spends more quality time with her children.  She is happy, healthy, employed and contributing to our community.  We at the Family Accountability and Recovery Court are so pleased with this participant's progress and are excited to celebrate her completion of FARC in May.  

This is just one of the thousands of individual stories that demonstrate why treatment courts are so critical in the effort to address addiction and related crime. And the scientific research agrees: Numerous studies have found that treatment courts reduce crime and drug use and save money.

Research shows treatment courts also improve education, employment, housing, financial stability, and family reunification, which reduces foster care placements. Treatment courts represent a compassionate approach to the ravages of addiction. This year’s National Drug Court Month celebration should signal that the time has come to reap the economic and societal benefits of expanding this proven budget solution to all in need.

There are many parents and guardians that struggle with substance use.  FARC receives referrals from the Department of Social Services, the courts, and other community agencies who are concerned that substance use is affecting a parent or guardian’s ability to parent.  In 2023, the 8th Judicial District will be implementing and Adult Accountability and Recovery Court (AARC). 

Through the combination of accountability, court supervision, treatment, and other community services, AARC, along with FARC will provide safer communities, save valuable resources, reduce exorbitant criminal justice cost, while helping to reunite families.  For more information about the 8th Judicial Accountability and Recovery Courts, please call 252-520-5446, or 919-722-6251.