Recovery court graduation celebrates five in Cumberland region
Five people in Cumberland-region recovery court marked a milestone at the Gloucester County Justice Complex, where judges and alumni framed treatment as a public safety test.
Five participants in the Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem vicinage’s recovery court program were honored Wednesday in Woodbury, a milestone that put New Jersey’s treatment-first approach to drug-related crime under a public microscope. The graduation at courtroom 301 in the Gloucester County Justice Complex was less a ceremony than a measure of whether supervised recovery can keep people sober, employed and out of jail.
Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio presided over the 11:30 a.m. event at 70 Hunter St. Silvanio has served as the Criminal Presiding Judge for Vicinage 15 since March 1, 2024, giving him oversight of a court region that includes Cumberland County, Gloucester County and Salem County.
The Judiciary’s recovery court program works inside Superior Court to handle non-violent drug-related cases. Participants move through distinct phases of intensive drug and alcohol treatment, intensive probation supervision, frequent drug testing and virtual court appearances, a structure designed to push accountability alongside rehabilitation rather than relying on incarceration alone.
Mark Adamski, an author in long-term recovery, delivered the keynote address and shared a story built around addiction, survival and redemption. Graduates and alumni also spoke about their recovery experiences and offered messages of strength and hope, underscoring the program’s emphasis on peer support as well as courtroom supervision.
State court materials describe recovery courts as a way to reduce drug use and recidivism while people are in the program, and to improve long-term outcomes after they complete it. The Judiciary says graduates are more likely to stay sober, finish school, find employment and remain connected to their families and communities, while the courts generate significant cost savings compared with incarceration.
For Cumberland County families watching the criminal justice system from the outside, those are the metrics that matter: completion, relapse, work, reunification and whether a participant returns to court as a graduate rather than a defendant. Amber Rishel, the vicinage Recovery Court Coordinator, can be reached at 856-878-5050, ext. 45186, for information about the program.
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