By Amelia Lanier
When Mark Peters first entered the Maury River Recovery Court, recovery was not his goal. He wanted to get out of jail.
On Sept. 15, after participating in the program for over a year, he became the first person to graduate. Now, he is a certified peer specialist at the Hope House, a sober living home in Buena Vista where Peters was treated.
Peters initially entered the recovery court after he was charged with selling marijuana to a minor. Peters said he would have likely faced time in prison for this charge.
Peters started the diversionary program in June to avoid jail time. But he said he soon realized he had an opportunity to turn his life around.
“Initially, like, it was more of a get out of jail thing. Then shortly into the program, you know, something just kind of clicked,” Peters said. “I just kind of decided that I was actually going to go through with the whole program instead of just trying to work around it.”
The Maury River Recovery Court is a program that provides an alternative to a jail sentence for people who have substance abuse problems. The program, which has five phases participants must complete, includes intensive outpatient care, regular drug screenings and peer support. If a participant completes the program, the charges against them are dropped.
Peer specialists act as mentors for Hope House clients by providing them support in their efforts to become drug free. They work with participants to establish routines and habits that help them get sober.
Peters said the work is gratifying.
“I went from being that person that needed all the help to the person doing the helping,” he said. “And I mean, even now, I guess there’s some days that I just I can’t believe where I’m at.”
Helping others reach sobriety helps Peters hold himself accountable, he said.
“I decided to get into the line of work that I got into is because it keeps me honest and it keeps me working my program,” he said.
While he was staying at the Hope House, Peters became committed to improving his quality of life, according to Paula Hubbard, the residence services director of Hope House.
“It is an honor, watching him grow and change little by little, creating a better life for himself,” Helbert said. “He did this himself.”
The recovery court was established in June 2025. Before the program’s creation, Rockbridge County did not have a legal program that was focused on recovery.
Local officials – including Joshua Elrod, the commonwealth’s attorney for Buena Vista – began seriously considering the possibility of establishing a recovery court several years ago. At the same time, the Rockbridge Area Community Services was developing an intensive outpatient therapy program, which became a central part of the recovery court program.
The court became the first program of its kind in Rockbridge County.
“It fits some participants much better as a model for addressing their substance use disorder,” Elrod said. “Many people who have intensive substance use disorder, they’re just in and out of court on almost like a weekly basis.”
The recovery court provides a more permanent solution to these arrests than the traditional court system, according to Elrod.
“If they achieve that recovery and kind of break that cycle, then that is a big win for the community,” Elrod said.
Peters was one of the first participants to join the program, while it was still in its beginning stages.
“It was a learning experience,” Peters said. “I think the people that were running it probably knew about as little as we did.”
When Peters began the program, there were three people in it with him. Now, there are around 15 participants, according to Peters.
The program has also gained a clearer structure, Peters said.
“[In the beginning] a lot of people that were coming in with, you know, failed urine screens and all that, and they were just kind of, you know, letting it ride,” he said. “I think finally they realized what was going on, and they definitely went about fixing it pretty quickly after that.”
At Peters’ graduation ceremony, Rockbridge County Circuit Court Judge Christopher Russell acknowledged his contribution to the program, especially in its pilot stage.
“You questioned everything,” Russell said, “I want to thank you for your contributions to our program.”
Peters’ graduation is an important milestone for the court, Elrod said, but the program is still in its early stages.
“I think this kind of event is cause for reflection,” Elrod said. “I think I’ll continue to reflect on that and how the program may have given [Peters] an opportunity to change his life and the ways that it might change our community.”
Peters hopes the program will continue to grow and give other people in Rockbridge County the opportunity he received.
“If you really want to get there and you want to get better, you just have to put in the work,” Peters said. “It will be worth it . . . and it does get better.”