Overton County’s Fifth Annual Recovery Rally Thursday brings support to those battling addiction so they can break the cycle that repeatedly brings them into the criminal justice system.
General Sessions Court Judge Daryl Colson said the county started Recovery Court nearly 11 years ago to provide intensive, court-monitored treatment. The rally followed about five years later after community members asked how they could learn more and support people going through recovery.
“It’s to celebrate the achievements of our participants,” Colson said, “And to let them know that people do care and the community cares, because ultimately we think that is the best way to help people who are dealing with addiction is to let them know that there’s people that care about them.”
Colson said Recovery Court targets the addiction behind behavior that leads participants into the justice system. Colson said many participants reach the program after probation and other efforts have failed and they face lengthy jail sentences.
“If we can deal with the addiction that people face, rather than just putting them in jail with no treatment and no follow-up, we can prevent them from coming back into the court system, you know, time after time, because we’ve actually treated the reason that led them to be in the court system to begin with,” Colson said.
Colson said the court works with the public defender, district attorney’s office, a court administrator and program director to identify potential participants. Colson said the approach gives people an opportunity to address the substance use contributing to their criminal behavior instead of serving a sentence and returning to the same underlying problem.
“For most of them, they’ve never actually had the court system, and certainly not a judge, that actually took time to say, ‘We’re interested in seeing you get better,’ rather than just imposing a sentence,” Colson said. “And for a lot of them, I think that’s an important factor in getting into treatment and being successful at it.”
Colson said Recovery Court participants must maintain employment, and some return to school. Colson said participants can support themselves, pay taxes and contribute to the economy rather than remain incarcerated at public expense.
Colson said Recovery Court graduates often return to the rally as speakers. Colson said their firsthand experience gives current participants the chance to hear from someone who has faced the same struggle and successfully moved forward.
“They can reach people that I can’t because they’ve lived the experience personally,” Colson said. “And so they come back and they talk and they tell our participants, ‘You can get there. You can do this,’ because that’s what they need to hear.”
Colson said the rally also gives the broader community a simple way to take part in someone’s recovery by offering encouragement to people trying to change their lives.
“You come out and, you know, tell someone who’s trying—tell someone who’s trying to turn their life around ‘Hey, we’re proud of you. We’re here for you. We want to support you. Good luck,’” Colson said. “For a whole lot of our participants, they’ve never heard that.”
The Fifth Annual Overton County Recovery Rally takes place Thursday from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at the Joe L. Evans Community Center in Livingston.