Ep. 55 Sentenced to Recovery

A former prison annex on Roan Mountain in Carter County, Tennessee is now the home of unique drug court recovery program. Through the combined efforts of local and state officials, the Northeast Tennessee Regional Recovery Center is transforming lives in a region ravaged by opioid addiction. Judges Lisa Rice, Jim Goodwin, and Stacy Street tell us how the program started and the key to its success.

Transcript

00;00;00;04 - 00;00;25;28

Host

Hello and welcome to Tennessee Court Talk. Recovery courts, also known as drug courts, started in Tennessee in 1996 in Davidson County. Since then, Tennessee has seen a significant increase in the number of recovery courts. There are now dozens across the state. These courts are designed to provide a treatment based alternative to incarceration for nonviolent offenders struggling with substance use disorders.

00;00;26;00 - 00;00;53;27

Host

But that's the key component participating in treatment. Are there enough facilities? If not, how do you find and fund recovery centers that work in tandem with the court system? Joining us are judges Stacy Street, Lisa Rice, and Jim Goodwin. They preside in the First and Second Judicial Districts in Northeast Tennessee. These judges, alongside local and state officials, work together to identify a unique solution in their part of the state.

00;00;53;27 - 00;01;01;14

Host

And we'll start with you, Judge Street. Talk about what was going on in your courtroom and where are you recognized the problem?

00;01;01;16 - 00;01;20;17

Judge Street

Well, when Judge Goodwin came on the bench, he he wanted to start a recovery court in the Second District. And Judge Rice wanted to do the same thing, and I, I was about 18 or 19 months ahead of them on the bench. And when Judge Rice wanted to do a recovery court, an outpatient recovery court was she kind of drug me along with her?

00;01;20;22 - 00;01;48;05

Judge Street

And as we got into it and kind of coordinated our our two drug courts and bounce things off with each other, we kept noticing that we had a lot of participants who were failing, and they were failing because Judge Goodwin kind of coined a phrase that they were in the same playground with the same playmates, or in the same sandbox with the same playmates, and we couldn't remove them from that.

00;01;48;05 - 00;02;23;09

Judge Street

So in talking, the three of us really talked about the need for an inpatient facility. That was a long term, not 30 days, but a an honest to goodness, long term solution. The trouble was always is funding. The trouble was finding a facility and the trouble was finding, kind of traction for that. So, we we tried a lot of different options and kept, running out of, of of options for an inpatient facility.

00;02;23;11 - 00;02;50;18

Judge Street

So when the District Attorney General’s in the First and Second and Third districts filed a baby, baby doe lawsuit, on behalf of a mother and a child who was born addicted to, opiates. And it was sort of a novel approach. It was a it was a civil case filed on behalf of the the citizens and on behalf of this person.

00;02;50;18 - 00;03;16;18

Judge Street

So, as that case kind of went along and, and Sullivan County, we kept kind of pursuing these things. So when it came down to it and the defendants were finally, they no longer bankrupt and Purdue Pharma and so forth, Endo ended up settling the case. And and in large part because of, Chancellor Moody's work in the, in the Second District.

00;03;16;18 - 00;03;46;13

Judge Street

So those three DA's in the first, second and third district. Barry Stalbis was, Ken Baldwin, and Dan Armstrong. When they got a settlement, it came out to approximately, about $20 million for the counties and the cities that participated. And it covers nine counties in East Tennessee all the way from Hamblen County, which is Morristown, up to Johnson County, where Mountain City is.

00;03;46;13 - 00;04;13;14

Judge Street

So there's nine counties and a number of little towns and so forth. And the majority of them participated in the lawsuit. So they got a per capita share of the funding. The unique thing about this lawsuit was that they did not have to use those funds for opioid abatement. They could use the funds for whatever they wanted to sewer lines, water lines, whatever.

00;04;13;17 - 00;04;37;16

Judge Street

But the DA's came to us and said, we would like to see this money used for something. And so that was the seed that kind of got us thinking. We thought, well, maybe we could use it for a recovery court. The thing about it is the cities and the counties, are so desperate for money and northeast Tennessee that this is like free money for them.

00;04;37;19 - 00;05;02;12

Judge Street

And so we came up with an idea of going to city council meetings, county commission meetings, budget committee meetings in all nine counties and all the cities and towns in those counties. And every week we were going to 2 or 3 God awful county commission meetings. And and at the time, all we were saying is, we've got an idea.

00;05;02;14 - 00;05;03;12

Host

Yeah.

00;05;03;14 - 00;05;35;20

Judge Street

We've got a plan. Please don't spend your money yet until we come back with you. And fortunately, but also unfortunately, if we had done this ten years ago, they would have probably tried to impeach us from office. But everybody on the county commissions or the city councils or these little town, assemblies, knew someone, love someone or had someone in their family that was addicted to opioids.

00;05;35;20 - 00;05;59;05

Judge Street

So the majority of people that we went not only said, we'll do that, but they voted to give us, if not all of their money, the majority of their money. And so I'll let Judge Rice pick up, on the facility that we were able to pick up. But that was where we started. So they called us the Black Robe Brigade because we were going, you know, we weren't soliciting funds.

00;05;59;05 - 00;06;16;08

Judge Street

All we said is, please don't spend your money. And some of the counties went ahead and bought trash trucks and sewer lines, but the majority of them said, we like what you're doing. And and then then another miracle happened. And I'll let Judge Rice explain about the facility.

00;06;16;11 - 00;06;59;23

Judge Rice

Well, it was almost a perfect storm. As Judge Street explained, the opioid settlement, the baby doe settlement came in about the same time as a work camp that was operated by the Tennessee Department of Corrections, was closing in Roan Mountain. They decommissioned it as a as an incarceration facility. And it's not set up as a sale after sale after sale to prison, but more of a dormitory style sleeping arrangement doesn't have quite the same feel as a as a true penal facility, and it was designed for, lower classified inmates to go out and work in the community is on it basically trustee status on work crews.

00;06;59;25 - 00;07;27;08

Judge Rice

So we thought if we could get something from the state level to assist us in utilizing that facility, as it was closed and it was in good shape, operating well, had not been vacant that long, we thought we could really have a good place to treat people on a long term basis and have them in, in a secure facility, but not make them feel like they're still in jail.

00;07;27;11 - 00;08;02;26

Judge Rice

So it was a perfect storm that all of that came together at the same time. Both the change in community sought the opioid settlement and the baby doe settlement and the facility that we're now calling the Northeast Tennessee Residential Recovery Court. That all came about simultaneously just just a perfect storm, so to speak. So, we were able, with the assistance of one of our state representatives, Tim Hicks, Lieutenant Governor at that time, the jail and Governor Lee to obtain that facility.

00;08;02;29 - 00;08;28;18

Judge Rice

And, God bless Governor Lee. He gave us the facility for a dollar a year for five years. So with with that high level intervention and, Governor Lee had been involved in a prison ministry prior to to him becoming Governor. I think he saw immediately the need and we were able to to get that facility at a very low cost expense and a very favorable lease terms.

00;08;28;18 - 00;09;02;02

Judge Rice

So we we started putting our first residents in there in October of 2023. And we have had, two graduations. And so far, every man who has left the facility, from, the graduation into the, into the outpatient recovery court system have left that mountain with a car that they have paid for from earnings from a job that they have obtained, and have had their driver's license and, and a job most of the time with insurance and benefits.

00;09;02;02 - 00;09;20;12

Judge Rice

So they have gone from, in that period of time, typically a year, maybe a little bit more, depending on the circumstances. They have gone from being a burden on taxpayers in the jail to productive taxpaying citizens paying their own way, paying their child support, paying their phones, and cost.

00;09;20;15 - 00;09;28;09

Host

That's extraordinary. What seeing this early success, what is the next step?

00;09;28;12 - 00;09;29;27

Host

Judge Goodwin, you're up.

00;09;30;00 - 00;10;04;11

Judge Goodwin

Oh, boy. Well, the next step is have more people to keep growing the program. And I think it's really important that people understand that when these folks graduate, they have because we make them work. That's not just they go to work because they want to. Most of these folks have never worked a day in their life. Or if they have, it's been years and years and years, but they have paid tens of thousands of dollars in fines and costs to the counties where they came from.

00;10;04;13 - 00;10;06;00

Judge Goodwin

I mean, that's a huge.

00;10;06;07 - 00;10;07;02

Judge Street

And child support.

00;10;07;02 - 00;10;35;04

Judge Goodwin

And child support, and many of them leave the facility. They don't have a job. They have the beginnings of a potential career because of working and working. And that's life changing. That is life changing. And and where we go from here is we just we try to grow the program. We try to get more people there. We haven't talked about the fact that we have a women's facility as well.

00;10;35;06 - 00;10;57;05

Judge Goodwin

Which is a different place. Men are in Roan Mountain, the women are in Johnson City, and right now our women's facility is full. We can have 12. And we have a waiting list. Okay. And the I could not be more proud of the, the participants and how well they're doing. We have to fuss at em every now and then.

00;10;57;08 - 00;11;11;04

Judge Goodwin

But that's normal. Yeah. But usually Wednesdays when we go to Roan Mountain and those guys are doing well. That is far and away the best part of our week. Far and away.

00;11;11;06 - 00;11;19;02

Host

Describe the facility to me now I've seen pictures of it. It looks like a prison. There's there at least the way it used to look. There was barbed wire everywhere.

00;11;19;04 - 00;11;19;16

Judge Goodwin

There’s still barbed wire there.

00;11;19;20 - 00;11;20;13

Host

Okay.

00;11;20;16 - 00;11;46;11

Judge Goodwin

Well, that's the one thing that we have left that reminds them. Recovery Court is designed to be the last chance before you go serve prison time. Okay? And a lot of these men have been to prison and come back. But there's two reasons that barbed wire is still there. One is it reminds them that you either complete this program, you surrender to recovery.

00;11;46;13 - 00;12;10;13

Judge Goodwin

You you make it through, or you go to prison. And that barbed wire is there as a reminder. Remember, this is what prison is like when you look at that fence. Now inside the fence. It's totally different and it's operated totally different. And then the second reason is we got a quote and it was like 300 and some thousand dollars to try to get it

00;12;10;15 - 00;12;18;12

Judge Goodwin

taken away. So every time someone's like, you really got to take that barbed wire away, I say, give us $300,000 and we'll make that happen.

00;12;18;12 - 00;12;33;26

Host

It sounds like your your hunch or your theory that the folks who are dealing with these kinds of challenges need, you know, not inpatient exactly, but they need full time rehabilitation.

00;12;33;29 - 00;13;12;05

Judge Goodwin

They do. So many of them. Not all. You know, you can be high risk, high need and be successful in an outpatient court. We've had between our two courts. We've had many successful stories. But there are some folks who are even higher risk and higher need on that continuum, and they have to have something different. And the big challenge that that I was finding, and I think that they were too, Judge Street and Judge Rice, is that housing in the outpatient court is one of our biggest challenges.

00;13;12;07 - 00;13;30;28

Judge Goodwin

Because you have to get them in a sober environment for them to maintain sobriety. That just has to happen. Yeah, especially early on. And some of the folks, they're not going to make it if they if we don't have an inpatient placement for them. This just the way it is.

00;13;31;01 - 00;13;34;13

Host

We have to get them out of the out of the old sandbox.

00;13;34;16 - 00;14;01;25

Judge Rice

And we are taking the highest risk, highest need individuals out of the court system. And I don't know if you've ever seen anyone that is in the deepest throes of of a drug use for years and years, they literally come into court and can look like The Walking Dead. Yeah. Methamphetamine has destroyed every hope. Their body, their addiction is so strong, they've just given up on almost everything else.

00;14;01;28 - 00;14;24;13

Judge Rice

And when you see them transform over the years that they're, they're into someone who looks at the future, not as where can I get my next fix? But I'm going to get a job and I'm going to buy a car, and I'm going to restore my relationship with my children. In my family. You see those goals develop. It's it's a complete rebirth of these individuals.

00;14;24;16 - 00;14;32;25

Host

What does it do for you as a, as a judge, to see that walk into your courtroom instead of hopelessness?

00;14;32;28 - 00;15;03;26

Judge Rice

As Judge Goodwin said? You know, we deal with very difficult cases, very heartbreaking cases, violent crimes, murders, rapes, child abuse on all levels. When we see someone transform themselves because they're given the tools, they just have to pick them up and use them when they transform themselves in this fashion. It truly is the best part of the job, and it makes everything that we have have done totally worth it.

00;15;03;28 - 00;15;39;06

Judge Rice

It is it is so rewarding to know that that that is taking with them, you know, when the when the flood happened in, in East Tennessee in September, Roan Mountain, where the men's facility is, was completely destroyed. I mean, there was just sections of that community that were wiped out. Many of our individuals do have good trade skills that years ago they developed before addiction, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, that were gifted in those fields.

00;15;39;08 - 00;16;09;23

Judge Rice

They totally supplied the labor to rebuild a church there locally and helped elderly people who had no one to help them clean out their yards and down trees that were washed into their driveways or or obstructing their house. They went up and did community service to to help that community and just did an amazing job and were so proud of themselves for being able to offer that, it was really, it was really an amazing transformation to see them do something for someone else.

00;16;09;27 - 00;16;20;08

Host

It sounds like it's restoring dignity. Where, Judge Goodwin, you were saying some some of these folks have had never worked before. Hadn't worked in a long time, hadn't volunteered.

00;16;20;10 - 00;16;20;27

Judge Goodwin

Yeah.

00;16;20;29 - 00;16;58;07

Judge Street

Well, and, you know, the unique thing about it is if you can have someone in an outpatient, program that can succeed, can can stay in that same sandbox and, and maintain their sobriety. There's some times stronger because they've they've learned to overcome that. We needed the residential facility because we remove all barriers to recovery. I mean, and I tell people, recently that that we've been going back around on our little tour here of giving people updates.

00;16;58;09 - 00;17;20;01

Judge Street

You know, we're running a hospital for sick people. It is 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We take care of every need that they have medical, and they're all sick. They're that there's some of the sickest individuals that you will see their years of drugs have killed their kidneys, their heart, their brain, their livers.

00;17;20;01 - 00;17;45;26

Judge Street

And so we deal with all of the medical with a partnership with East Tennessee State University, the College of Medicine there. We have a contract with them. We take care after they've reached level three, they can begin employment. And, you know, pre-COVID you could not get a felon, a job, any kind of substantial job with an honest to god paycheck.

00;17;45;28 - 00;18;03;18

Judge Street

Well, when we started this program and we take none of their money, we make them maintain 25% for savings. The other 75% goes for child support, court cost and part. And the rest of it is their money. And we take none of it.

00;18;03;20 - 00;18;28;16

Judge Street

We were able to find some of the largest employers, in East Tennessee with some reputable companies that people go to work for and retire, and they have benefits and 401 K's. We've even had a couple that have worked for the state of Tennessee at the state park that is in Mount, and they love our employees because we drive them there on a van.

00;18;28;18 - 00;19;02;05

Judge Street

We pick them up. They never miss their drug tested regularly. And they, they maintain that they're the best employees that they have. We also have partnered with TCAT and our, each of them have been certified OSHA certified, workplace certified. So TCAT actually comes to the facility and teaches them. So we remove all barriers so they can make it through that program or they leave us no other option but to send them on to the penitentiary.

00;19;02;07 - 00;19;29;01

Judge Street

And that's what makes it different. They focus on nothing but their treatment. And what makes our facility, different is that with the baby doe money, with grants that we've received from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, it costs the participants. And we've got, about 40 men up there now. We'll have 60 by the fall.

00;19;29;03 - 00;19;53;20

Judge Street

And then the 12 women, it cost them zero. It cost them nothing to go into this program. And so it's it is a lot of work. It's more work that probably in hindsight, if we had known how much work it was, we probably would not have done it. But it is it's it's like raising a child. It is it is the greatest blessing in the world when they succeed.

00;19;53;23 - 00;20;30;18

Judge Street

And it's a heartache. It's a kick to the gut when they don't. But it's it's well worth it. And it's it's went beyond our expectations because, the Governor has been at our facility three times. Both of our United States Senator, Senator Haggerty and, Senator Blackburn have been there. We also were honored to have Chief Justice Holly Kirby come and spend a lot of time with, our participants in the, the men's and the women's facility and address a fundraising, benefit that we had.

00;20;30;20 - 00;21;00;20

Judge Street

And about a month ago, Justice Bivins came and spent all day long with us and, face to face with those hardened felons. At the prison, sit down with them and talk to them, look them in the eye, and, did the same thing with the females. So, I don't know if in, in Roan Mountain in Carter County, Tennessee, that that a Supreme Court Justice other than maybe Penny White, years ago has ever even been there.

00;21;00;20 - 00;21;22;15

Judge Street

But that's how cutting edge to see is it's a unique situation, but I think it is a model that could be rolled out with all of the empty state buildings and, and so forth that are there. It's something that that we're trying to make sustainable. And our only goal is that it outlives us years and years and years.

00;21;22;17 - 00;21;35;10

Host

That was going to be. My next question is, do you see this as a potential model statewide, and maybe for other states who have been trying have been grappling with some of these same issues, especially in the Appalachian regions.

00;21;35;12 - 00;22;08;08

Judge Street

The worst of the worst, they cannot be rehabilitated in an outpatient facility, and they can't be rehabilitated in a 28 day program and come back out. You have to remove all of those barriers. And the only way you can do that is and we have a tremendous treatment team. We have some we have seasoned veterans, master's degree level and doctorate degree level that were with him every single day.

00;22;08;11 - 00;22;29;04

Judge Street

And it takes the time that is necessary for the brain to heal and to learn new skills. And as I said, you know, we had a 40 year old man the other day we were talking to during our recovery court, and we do it on Wednesday nights. One week we do our outpatient, and then the next week we go to the inpatient.

00;22;29;07 - 00;23;11;22

Judge Street

He's 40 years old. He never had a checking account before. Well, and, some of them have never seen their Social Security number or a driver's license. And so. And we've bought more teeth by dentures, we bought more hearing aids and glasses and haircuts. And it gives him a sense of pride. And you ask about that. Our first group, when they became eligible, and about the middle part of last year to go to work and they went to work, especially a couple that had gone to the to the state park, some rough old boys up their work at the state park because they're mowing and maintenance and so forth.

00;23;11;24 - 00;23;37;04

Judge Street

And we, we ask them how their job was going. They said it's they respect us. They don't treat us like convicts. They respect us. They're showing us respect. And it was a great teaching moment that we could look at them and say, you got what you earned. You were treated the way you were before because you earned that, because you were a convict.

00;23;37;07 - 00;24;01;01

Judge Street

But now you've earned that respect. Remember how that feels. Remember how that feels, the pride that you have. And that was kind of shocking to us that and it was eye opening that, you know, they're human beings. And and nobody will put somebody in the penitentiary faster than the three of us sitting here if they deserved it.

00;24;01;04 - 00;24;12;20

Judge Street

But this has given us a chance to to show a little grace and mercy to those that earn it. And when they do, there's no greater failing than that.

00;24;12;22 - 00;24;31;19

Host

One of the things I'm taking away, hearing you all talk about your communities and the court and the state, everybody working together, that this is really the tie that binds or these folks that, you know, you you live there, you work there. It's not about politics. It's about serving the community.

00;24;31;22 - 00;24;47;10

Judge Street

And I'm going to shut up and let these two talk. But this is what we this is what I tell people ten years ago when I would go into Walmart or go to a ballgame or go to church or, go somewhere, people would come up and say, when are you going to start putting these these druggies in jail?

00;24;47;13 - 00;25;05;24

Judge Street

You know, we don't need another drug day care. We don't need a, you know, hug a thug. You need to put them in the penitentiary. Jump forward to now. And when we started this program, those same people came up to us and they said, my or my grandson or my niece or my daughter, they're not a bad person.

00;25;05;28 - 00;25;34;03

Judge Street

Yeah, but we don't want them in our home. They need help. Can you help them? At the time, all I could say is we can put them on probation. If they don't, they're going to go to the penitentiary. And that's the only options we had. But programs such as this now give us options. So the opioid epidemic more importantly, substance abuse now because opioids are a thing of the past, it's, except for fentanyl.

00;25;34;03 - 00;25;56;10

Judge Street

Now it's methamphetamine. And our our area is extremely bad. It is so bad that it touches everybody's life. So people can now relate to that as opposed to saying, well, I just wants people to get help. And I think that's the, that makes what we do different than anything that's happened in the past.

00;25;56;13 - 00;25;59;14

Host

Judge Rice any closing thoughts?

00;25;59;16 - 00;26;24;07

Judge Rice

As far as, closing thoughts and your comment about where the programs like this should go and rolling them out? It is a lot of extra work for probably an already overworked judge, but I would encourage any judge who is not involved in a recovery court to give it serious consideration, because these programs do work and they do make a difference.

00;26;24;09 - 00;26;49;17

Judge Rice

We have graduates of our outpatient programs who are working now as peer recovery specialists, helping other people in the throes of addiction. And they know the walk and the and and the tactics and the the things that that are used to to get around true treatment. They can call those folks in treatment on the carpet quicker than in someone who hasn't been in their shoes.

00;26;49;20 - 00;27;13;01

Judge Rice

And there's a bond and an understanding there between those folks that that I think sometimes makes a huge difference. So I would encourage any judge who is working in this realm and sees the need to, to do what they can to start these types of programs. There's a lot of heartbreak, there's a lot of work, there's a lot of administrative issues that come with it.

00;27;13;04 - 00;27;36;19

Judge Rice

But for example, one of our graduates who probably about, I would say six years ago was literally naked in a ditch with a needle in her arm near death, has since graduated the program, finished her B.S. degree, got a master's degree and bought a home and is working, in the field at the master's level and in the recovery community.

00;27;36;19 - 00;28;19;03

Judge Rice

That's a full time job. We have people working for our treatment provider families for free, at both our outpatient and inpatient facilities who have previously graduated our program. Okay. And, these people can become successful. They can become productive citizens. They can help other people, and they do it, and they're committed to it. And anything that the judiciary can do to to move these types of programs along in their communities, I think is, is, really, something that is valuable as a judge and rewarding as a judge.

00;28;19;06 - 00;28;19;12

Host

Judge Goodwin.

00;28;20;23 - 00;28;43;10

Judge Goodwin

I'm not sure I can add anything to what they've both said. You know, the participant has to get to a point where they want to receive treatment, like, they, you know, everybody talks about hitting rock bottom. They have to they have to get to a point where they, And I said it before they surrender to treatment, they, they want it.

00;28;43;12 - 00;29;13;24

Judge Goodwin

And when you get the person they're or get a person who is there, then all the things we've talked about today can make a really positive impact on that person's life. And I too would encourage if if you're a judge and I can't imagine that there's any judge in this state at any level who doesn't recognize the need.

00;29;13;27 - 00;29;26;23

Judge Goodwin

And I've, I've told people this before and people look at me like I'm crazy, but this is a really, really bad time to be a drug addict because fentanyl, fentanyl has changed the landscape.

00;29;26;25 - 00;29;27;10

Host

Yeah.

00;29;27;12 - 00;30;01;23

Judge Goodwin

Because it takes just a small amount that you don't know is there, and it will kill you. I can't tell you how many orders I've had to sign over the last two years, dismissing cases because the defendants are deceased, I have no I don't even have a count. But it is several a month, several a month. And if there's a judge out there and you're on the fence, I would say find out where the nearest drug court is and go visit that judge.

00;30;01;23 - 00;30;05;15

Judge Goodwin

Visit that court. It'll be the best thing you ever do is on the bench.

00;30;05;18 - 00;30;22;06

Host

Judge Jim Goodwin, Judge Stacy Street Judge Lisa Rice, thank you so much for sharing this. The process of how all this came together, and the future of the Northeast Tennessee Regional Recovery Center. This is really encouraging. Thank you for coming on Tennessee Court Talk.

00;30;22;08 - 00;30;22;26

Judge Street

Thank you for this.

00;30;23;04 - 00;30;24;02

Judge Rice

Thank you for having us.