Anchor Court:  Chatham County’s Family Treatment Court

“Not a single day did I ever feel like I walked alone.”

 

Pictured:  Chatham County Juvenile Court Presiding Judge, Thomas Cole; Anchor Court graduate, Charli Bennett; and Anchor Court Coordinator, Latrell Gulotta

 

Addiction is a thief.  It steals years, even decades from people’s lives.  It steals away the ability to keep a job, to keep a home, to keep relationships.  It steals a person’s belief in themselves or in viable options or in any good in the world at all.  It kills hope.  Addiction is a disease that is a powerful, formidable enemy, but those fighting it can find powerful, tenacious allies in Accountability Courts such as Anchor Court, Chatham County’s Family Treatment Court.

Anchor Court is a final chance for parents whose lives have been so impacted by the disease of substance abuse that they stand in peril of going to prison and losing custody of their children.  The resoundingly good news is that Accountability Courts and Treatment Courts are very, very good options for those who voluntarily enter these life-changing and life-affirming programs.

Chatham County was one of the initial family treatment courts in Georgia and continues to be a model of success, demonstrating 75% greater odds of reunification without increasing foster care reentry or new maltreatment reports.  Juvenile Court Presiding Judge Thomas Cole sees Anchor Court participants all the way through the program, and he has a clear view of the program’s goals for all involved.  “It comes down to parents who love their children and want to be with them, but it needs to be safe and healthy, and this is the most effective mechanism and means to make that happen.  It breaks the intergenerational cycle of neglect and abuse.  It changes the future for children and families.”

When participants enter the program, they borrow hope from a large, dedicated team of substance abuse, mental health, legal, social work, health care, life skills, and other professionals who will support them from the first faltering steps of this journey until (and even after) they walk out of it on their own two feet.

Participants and team members respond with cheers for an Anchor Court participant's graduation speech 

 

One of Anchor Court’s most recent graduates glows as she addresses that support team on the day of her graduation from the program, even as she remembers the day she entered it. “I’ve never been able to successfully complete anything, but because of this program and treatment, I’ve been able to get my life back.  I went into treatment completely defeated.  I knew if I didn’t do something, I was going to end up in jail or dead, and I would lose the most important person in my life, my son! . . . My life was a complete mess, full of chaos and dysfunction; I did things in my addiction that I said I would never do.  I tried many times to stop, but I always ended up relapsing again.  When my son was placed in foster care, I finally went into treatment.  I will never forget that day – I remember sitting down and finally being able to breathe; I just surrendered and trusted the process.  I was so scared of the unknown, but I knew I had to change for my life to change.”  It is no ordinary graduation that Anchor Court participants celebrate.  It is arguably one of the most monumental accomplishments a person could achieve.

In deep or rough waters, an anchor is used to keep a ship secure and safe from danger, and for centuries the image of an anchor has been used as an emblem of hope.  The anchor in Anchor Court is an acronym for the Court’s mission: Addressing the dependency Needs of Children by Honoring the Outcomes of Recovery.  More specifically, Anchor Court achieves safe and permanent families for children by addressing the dependency/substance abuse of a parent or caregiver.   Working with many community partners since its inception in January of 2008, Chatham County’s award-winning Anchor Court has provided services to 441 parents and children, including 29 drug-free babies born to participants.  Anchor Court is changing lives, changing families, and changing communities for the better. 

Another recent graduate of the Court is one of the relatively few single fathers to come through the program.  His words speak for so many other program participants, however, as he reflects on his life before choosing to enter Anchor Court.  “I was a liar, a thief, a cheat, a deadbeat father, a menace to my community, and all I cared about was my next fix - never fixing myself.  I did not believe I had a purpose.  Being a meth addict for the past 20 years really took a toll on my mental health.  I never believed in anything positive, because the demon inside of me was in control.  But now, as I stand in front of everyone here today, I can truly say that that’s not my life anymore.  I’m no longer any of those things.”  

As it does for every Anchor Court graduate, light follows dark in his personal story.  “In the past 22 and a half months, I’ve accomplished more than I have in the 20 years of my drug use.”  He ticks off the things he has gained:  A home he pays for, checking and savings accounts, a driver’s license, repaired relationships, and more.  None of these came easily or quickly – Anchor Court is a commitment of time as well as hard work on one’s self.  He is able to look around the room with clear eyes now, with both humility and pride, and most especially with gratitude.  “Now I know my self-worth.  I can process situations that I couldn’t before.  I’ve learned how to hold myself accountable and to not be afraid to hold other people accountable.  I’ve learned to put my trust in others and to help others.  Learned to be honest and patient, learned to make each day count and to try to be better every day.  I can get up with a clear mindset for each day, go to work every day, provide every day, and teach lessons my son needs to learn every day.  And my favorite is, I can lay my son down at night and know he doesn’t have to be afraid anymore.  He’s at peace with his daddy.”

Other graduates echo those themes of peace, trust, and gratitude as they speak about their own difficult journeys from addiction to restoration, from nothingness to wholeness. “I had been so lost in addiction for years that I forgot who I was, but because of this program I got to know who I am again.”  “My life had fallen apart while holding up everyone else.  I had to relearn who I was.  I had everything taken from me – my car, my career, my whole life!  In Anchor Court, I was able to get it all back on track."  “I lost everything.  But I’m no longer that person – I can stand up for myself, make adult decisions, and set boundaries.  I can give my child the life I didn’t have growing up – a safe, happy, loving, stable home.” “This has given me another chance to break a generational curse.  It’s up to me to do it, for my children.  And today I believe that I can.”

 

 

Anchor Court has been the recipient of some 2.5 million dollars in state funding and grants from a number of justice entities,

and it continues to deliver rich returns on that investment.