The recently formed Maury River Recovery Court is now accepting referrals after it held its inaugural session last week in the Rockbridge County Circuit Court, culminating almost two years of work to get it organized and approved by the Virginia Supreme Court.
The role of the recovery court is to provide an alternative to traditional court proceedings for individuals charged with drug-related offenses with the goal of providing a path to recovery through a program with intensive supervision. The Virginia Supreme Court approved the Maury River Recovery Court in December and all three local jurisdictions that will be served by the court – Lexington, Buena Vista and Rockbridge County – each approved contributions to cover the costs for a recovery court coordinator to oversee cases in the court. Buena Vista and Lexington each contributed more than $13,000 and Rockbridge County allotted more than $50,000 toward the costs for the coordinator, as well as an additional $9,360 for any supplies and other expenses associated with the court. The funding from all three localities was appropriated from the settlements received from several opioid lawsuits.
“It’s one of the most effective ways to get certain classes of people through recovery,” Elrod told Lexington City Council when making the request for funding in January. “It’s also one page 8 of the most cost-effective ways to do criminal justice.” In the same meeting, he noted that there are grants available to cover the costs of a coordinator for a recovery court and that the plan is to apply for them for future funding for the court.
After the first meeting of the court last week, Judge Christopher Russell, who serves as the judge in both Rockbridge County and Buena Vista circuit courts and will preside over hearings of the Maury River Recovery Court, sent a letter to the local area bar association to inform them that operation of the court had begun.
“The advent of the Court represents an expansion of options in our community to address the challenge of substance use disorder among the criminal defendant population,” he said in the letter.
Russell then went on to thank those involved in the efforts to get the recovery court started. In addition to Elrod, he thanked Deputy Public Defender Teresa Harris, Rockbridge County Commonwealth’s Attorney Jared Moon and Rockbridge County Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Andrew Squires for “their efforts to make this happen,” as well as Buena Vista Circuit Court Clerk Chris Coleman, who will serve as the clerk for the recovery court. Russell also extended thanks to local government leaders, representatives of the local law enforcement agencies, Rockbridge Area Community Services and Blue Ridge Court Services “for their support and willingness to serve in critical roles going forward.” The court is now accepting referrals for individuals facing criminal charges associated with illegal drugs or a substance abuse disorder. For more information, contact Recovery Court Coordinator Olivia Camden at (540) 915-0991.
