West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals issued the following announcement on Feb. 26.
The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia will host a treatment court graduation for 16 Adult Drug Court participants on Thursday, March 5, in the Supreme Court Courtroom in the East Wing of the West Virginia Capitol.
The graduation will begin at 8:30 a.m. to kick off Treatment Court Day at the Legislature. A breakfast reception will follow, catered by an Adult Drug Court graduate. The graduates chose to be honored at the Supreme Court rather than in separate ceremonies in their counties. Graduates will be from Boone, Hampshire, Kanawha, Lincoln, McDowell, Roane, and Wayne Counties. One graduate from Raleigh County will be the first Military Service Members Court participant to graduate since the Legislature re-established the Courts in 2019.
The graduates will have an opportunity to speak about what the treatment court process has been like for them. In addition to the graduation ceremony, there will be informational tables outside the House and Senate Chambers which will be staffed by treatment court graduates wearing t-shirts that say “WV Treatment Courts Work. Ask Me How.” The House will issue a citation and the Senate will issue a proclamation. “Treatment courts play a crucial role in our state’s efforts to address addiction. These courts are an encouraging tool in our efforts to ensure all our state’s children enjoy safe, healthy and loving homes,” said Supreme Court Chief Justice Tim Armstead.
The first Adult Drug Court was established in the Northern Panhandle in 2005. There now are 29 Adult Drug Courts serving all counties. The first Juvenile Drug Court was established in 1999 in Cabell County. There now are 18 Juvenile Drug Courts serving 24 counties. Family Treatment Courts also were authorized by the Legislature last year and pilot projects are established in Boone, Nicholas, Ohio, Randolph and Roane Counties. There are 30 participants in Family Treatment Courts in cases involving 53 children. There are have been more than 2,500 treatment court graduates in West Virginia.
Original source can be found here.