DCS Annual Report 2019 | Page 25

Depar tment of Communit y Super vision 1,191 DRC graduates in FY19 DRC Success Story Chris Buckley — The story of this participant’s life includes a long history of drug abuse and committing violent, public hate crimes. In 2016, the participant’s wife staged an intervention with close family and friends to try and start the participant on a path of recovery. After frequent bouts of homeless shelters, drug rehab centers, and gang convictions in Los Angeles, the participant admitted to being “a broken man and needing to turn the page on his hatred of the past." With assistance from the staff, the participant ultimately gained employment as a machine mechanic at a carpet mill. Furthermore, he began volunteering at the Haven, a church outreach ministry for people who are homeless, hungry, and struggling with addiction. At the Haven, the participant works in the garden, serves food, and leads NA meetings. He feels like this place is his purpose. He now befriends those he once despised. He summarizes his transformed life well; “I just want to do good to make up for all the bad.” The participant’s addiction to drugs, however, was a different matter; it had worsened, and he was arrested for possession. In 2017, he was arrested again and detoxed over his four-month sentence. He was given the opportunity to go to the Lookout Mountain DRC where he became a “model participant.” His counselor, Beverly Chapman, said he had a bumpy start at the DRC but ended up really buying into the intent of the program. The DRC places an emphasis on accountability, character development, and a multitude of other courses that eventually serve as a point of reformation for the participant.