The VLW Blog

Any Virginia court could create a special docket to address the “specialized needs of similarly situated defendants” under legislation proposed by Del. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond. House Bill 123 appears to be a reaction to a recent memo from Chief Justice Cynthia Kinser advising judges that specialized dockets are limited to those expressly approved by the [...]

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The television documentary on the Roanoke Valley’s drug treatment court has picked up another set of awards. “The Arrest Is Only the Beginning” was made in 2009 to demonstrate the effectiveness of Virginia’s drug court programs. The 26-minute video now has won gold Aurora Awards in two categories: social issues and documentary. It also picked [...]

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Supporters of the 14 drug court programs in Virginia have two reasons to celebrate this week. Most importantly, the legislature approved another year of existence for the court-run diversion program, but there’s also national recognition for a video documentary on the project. The video, “The Arrest is Only the Beginning: How Virginia Drug Courts Succeed” [...]

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While lawyers and their organizations pressure the General Assembly to find money to fill vacant judgeships, Roanoke judges say they hope the state’s drug courts don’t become a target for Richmond budget cutters. “Every year we have to ask for the money. Every year we face possible extinction,” Roanoke Circuit Judge Jonathan M. Apgar (left) [...]

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A drug court defendant has been bounced from the program for breaking rules, including MySpace postings that joked about drug and alcohol abuse. Charged in Spotsylvania County with possession of heroin and marijuana, defendant Judson Jeffrey Harris pleaded guilty in August 2006 to the heroin charge in exchange for dismissal of the marijuana charge and [...]

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Virginia’s 14 drug courts survived the General Assembly budget battle and will get a $6 million allocation under the agreement just hammered out. But a new $2 million program to help inmates re-enter society after prison was gutted. The Daily Progress has this account, which includes comment from local drug court officials. And The Virginian-Pilot [...]

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