[Archived] Alexandria Treatment Court Celebrates First Graduate and Grant Award

For Immediate Release: February 17, 2021

The City of Alexandria Treatment Court (ATC) recently celebrated its first graduate and the award of a grant that will increase program capacity and quality.

As an alternative to traditional court adjudication, treatment courts take a multidisciplinary approach to address the chronic behavioral patterns associated with drug offenses and reduce repeat offense rates. Re-arrest rates of treatment court graduates are approximately half or less than that of non-treatment court graduates, which reduces costs for the judicial system. Treatment courts also change lives, as is the case with Alexandria resident Kim Christian.

Christian entered the Alexandria Treatment Court’s five-phase program in November 2019. Throughout the program, she met regularly with a case manager, treatment providers and a probation officer; attended treatment court sessions; and participated in recovery programs and networks. She completed the program in nearly half of the two-year program average, despite challenges posed by virtual court sessions and recovery meetings due to COVID-19.

The program, which began in September 2019, is also celebrating a grant of nearly $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance late last year. The grant will enable the program to triple to 30 participants by adding a full-time senior therapist and a treatment court coordinator. The grant will also expand to include drug testing, which is a best practice for adult drug courts.

Multiple agencies partner to form the ATC, including the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Department of Community and Human Services, Sheriff’s Office, Alexandria Public Defender, Alexandria Court Services Unit’s Probation and Parole Service, and Alexandria Police Department. ATC Treatment Teams are responsible for day-to-day operation and interaction with participants, and include a treatment court judge and prosecutor, the participant’s public defender, a probation officer, a therapist and a police officer.

For inquiries from the news media only, contact Andrea Blackford, Senior Communications Officer, at andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3959.