EVERETT—The Snohomish County Superior Court celebrated its 1,000th graduate from its Adult Recovery Court Thursday, June 13.
“That’s hundreds of lives changed, potentially hundreds of lives saved,” said Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. “I am proud and grateful for the work the Adult Recovery Court does, and of the many graduates who have put in the effort to overcome the challenges facing them. They have improved not only their own lives, but the lives of their loved ones, friends, and neighbors. This kind of program makes our community a better place.”
For more than 25 years, Adult Recovery Court has provided therapeutic and legal services for people affected by substance use disorder and involved with the criminal justice system. More than 2,000 people have participated in the program and since 2001 have paid over $455,000 in restitution.
“We don’t do this alone. We don’t do and of this in a vacuum, we have to do this in a community,” said the Honorable Judge Joseph P. Wilson who hosted the ceremony. “Recovery is not a journey you take upon yourself, you have to have community, you have to be engaged, you have to process other people and speak to likeminded people who are searching for the same thing.”
Technically Thursday’s ceremony celebrated two graduates; Michael Camacho, and Leonel Garcia Villasenor, though there was no telling who out of the two were the official 1,000th – despite both claiming the title.
Regardless of who was the actual 1,000th graduate, or the 999th, the true point of the ceremony was to honor the 1,000 people who came before, through the court’s 25 years of offering those suffering from substance abuse disorder an alternative to incarceration.
The first graduate honored was Villasenor who now has 561 days of sobriety. He was described by his peers as being a man of integrity, of honesty, and compassion, often selflessly going out of his way to help others still struggling.
“Leo is such a great example for everyone in our program because he immediately surrendered to it. He was ready to change his life, was ready to set an example for his kids, and wanted to regain the trust of his family,” said Adult Recovery Court Coordinator Skyler Willian. “Even when he doesn’t have a dime to his name, he is willing to do whatever he can for other people which is really admirable. He is going to be able to save many lives moving forward but he saved his life today and that’s really important.”
Judge Wilson said Thursday that when Villasenor first came to the Snohomish County Recovery Court he had already made up the decision that he was done using, he was just searching for a way how. Now, Wilson continued, he has his whole life ahead of him.
“Whatever you do is not in vain. There is always a price to it and the price for me is my graduation. I’m very happy with this,” said Villasenor. “One of the things that makes me very happy is to see people here in the audience who are people I used to see out on the street, that are now wanting to change their lives, and rather than causing harm in the community, do good for themselves and their families.”
Villasenor’s felony record was wiped clean by the court Thursday following his successful completion of the program.
The second graduate honored was Michael Camacho, who now has 787 days of sobriety.
Judge Wilson said that when Camacho first came into the program he didn’t think he would make it. He was argumentative, stubborn, angry, and dismissive of anything the court had to say.
“I have never seen a transformation like this,” said Judge Wilson. “I have never seen someone work so damn hard on themselves as I have seen him work. The inter work that he has done to answer the question why he uses has been nothing short of miraculous and epic. I never envisioned a version of this person that stands in front of us.”
Camacho’s reunited wife, who once had a protection order against him, and his four children were in the audience standing in solidarity with him in support of his recovery.
“I didn’t want to be here. I couldn’t care less, and I could’ve gone to prison and did my time but the last time I got arrested the Officer that came up to me actually saved my life. I felt something change and I thought I would do this,” said Camacho. “It wasn’t easy. But if you put in the work and you really want this, one day at a time – and sometimes it was thirty minutes for me – and work the program you can be up here and you can say I have x amount of days. Today I can stand up here and say I have 787 days of sobriety.”
Last October the Snohomish County Adult Recovery Court (ARC) celebrated its 25th year of providing therapeutic and legal services for adults affected by substance use disorder and involved with the criminal justice system.
ARC is a twelve-to-eighteen-month voluntary program that allows people aged 18 or older, to participate in treatment services as an alternative to incarceration. Upon successful completion of ARC, a participant’s current felony charge(s) will be dismissed.
Founded in 1998, the program has seen 981 graduates since represented by the 981 silver stars which adorned the court room walls during Thursday’s ceremony.
In 1999, through those discussions and grant funding, a program called CHART (Choosing Healthy Alternatives to Recovery and Treatment) – a program that decided to look alternatives to the criminal justice system for people suffering with substance abuse.
In 2010, CHART became the Adult Treatment Court which changed its name to Adult Recovery Court in 2020 to be more inclusive.
Judge Wilson’s wife, Cecelia Wilson, who manages constituent services for the County Executive’s Office, was a big proponent of bringing an Adult Recovery Court to Snohomish County long before she met her husband.
ARC supports participants in their recovery journey through individualized case management, monitoring, and expedited services. Just a few of the services offered include substance use disorder treatment, mental health evaluation, educational assistance, housing assistance, connections to community resources, skills and tools to maintaining recovery, and an alumni group for continued support.
The first step in consideration for entry into Snohomish County Adult Recovery Court (ARC) is a referral to the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office from the client’s defense attorney.
Once notified of a client’s interest in entering ARC, the Prosecuting Attorney assigned to ARC will confirm whether the client meets program requirements and facilitates the intake process.
The client will be screened by a Recovery Court Coordinator, undergo a substance use disorder assessment, and take part in a mental health evaluation (if clinically recommended) prior to entering ARC.
The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office may be reached by calling (425) 388-3333.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
