Photo submitted by Family Accountability and Recovery Court.

2022 was an incredible year in the 8th Judicial District Family Accountability and Recovery Court (FARC)! 

Eight participants successfully completed the program.  In FARC, participants have lost or are at risk of losing their children due to substance use which impacts ability to parent.  During the time in FARC, participants engage in robust and regular substance use treatment.  Participants are randomly drug screened at least twice a week and appear before the FARC Judge every two weeks for most of the program.  FARC can take up to 15 months to complete. During this time, participants work on employment, education, housing, transportation, parenting skills, empowerment skills and goal setting, so that they are able to maintain stability for themselves and their families in a substance free environment.

One young mom came to FARC due to her involvement with the Department of Social Services and Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency Court.  This mom had lost custody of her child, used three to four drugs on a regular basis, and had overdosed several times.  When she entered FARC, it was evident she did not want to participate in weekly treatment, random drug screenings, and communicate with her case coordinator, but more, it was evident that she did not trust people, especially those involved with the judicial system.  Slowly relationships were formed and her trust in Judge Beth Heath and the other FARC team members became evident.  She began to consistently go to treatment, test negative for substances, found employment, and began the hard work of healing broken relationships with family.  After seventeen months in our program, we celebrated this mom and her recovery with the successful completion of FARC.  Since completing FARC six months ago, she has been reunited with her child and family, given birth to a second child, who was born substance free, owns her own home, works a full-time job, and continues to thrive in a substance free life.  We are so proud of her and feel honored to have been with her throughout the seventeen months in our Recovery Court.  

This story is just one powerful reminder that when one person rises out of addiction and finds recovery, we all rise.  And it is just one of the thousands of individual stories that demonstrates why Recovery Courts are so critical in the effort to address addiction and related crime.  Numerous studies agree:  Recovery Courts reduce crime and drug use and save money.  Recovery Courts also improve education, employment, housing, financial stability, and family reunification, which reduces foster care placements.  Recovery Courts represent a compassionate approach to the devastation of addiction. 

This year’s National Treatment Court Month celebration should signal that the time has come to reap the economic and societal benefits of expanding the Recovery Court solution to all in need.  The 8th Judicial District Accountability and Recovery Courts are grateful to the many citizens, community agencies, and local and state representatives that continue to support our efforts and those we serve. 

Contact Colleen Kosinski, 919-722-6251, or Audra Haddad, 252-520-5368, for more information about the 8th Judicial Accountability and Recovery Courts.