Series: Four Lives, One Last Chance - A Year In Drug Court: Part 37 Of 41

EPILOGUE. VERNON

The lifeline of Drug Court was thrown to Vernon, Jennifer, Linwood and Linda.

Would they hold on and pull themselves out of addiction? We spent a year to
find out.

And since then, another year has passed. Have they made it?

The weeks and months that followed Vernon's release from jail were
difficult and stressful, but he remained determined not to end up back in jail.

A few weeks later, he marked his first year clean. His brother and
sister-in-law attended his celebration, and Vernon accepted his one-year
Narcotics Anonymous medallion with teary eyes.

"I used to think that if I wasn't using then everything's all right," he
said. "I'm still learning that ain't the case."

Throughout that spring and summer, Vernon struggled to find work and a
place to live. Bills for his rent-to-own furniture piled up, as did the
bill for the storage locker where his possessions were kept.

He thought about seeking some sort of public assistance just before landing
a job at the Newport News Wal-Mart. As with his previous jobs, his common
sense and working-class values made him a valuable employee. He has been
offered promotions at stores in other cities, but he hasn't been able to
accept them because he doesn't have a driver's license.

Nearly six months after getting out of jail, Vernon found an apartment he
could afford in Denbigh. He knew several of his neighbors from Narcotics
Anonymous. He has lived there ever since.

Although he has been clean for more than two years, Vernon continues to
struggle with the rules and regulations of Drug Court. The judge has
sanctioned him several times for offenses like driving, which he admitted
to his counselor, and being perpetually late to counseling sessions.

Despite his missteps, Vernon was finally promoted to the program's fourth
phase on Oct. 3. That requires him to take a minimum of two drug screens,
attend Drug Court counseling twice a week and see the judge once a month.
If all goes well, he could graduate this summer.

In the last year, Vernon met and started dating a girl from work. They had
a baby boy, Vernon Jr., on Oct. 6. The father was there to cut the cord.