‘You really want recovery for yourself’: Sheriff’s office program sets inmates on path to success

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT/Gray News) - One Virginia woman serving time in prison is getting the best Christmas gift this year - a chance to go home early and spend it with her babies.

And it’s all thanks to a rehabilitation program through the Henrico Sheriff’s Office, called ORBIT (Opiate Recovery Based On Intensive Tracking).

The program, launched in 2016, has helped hundreds of inmates charged with drug and substance abuse-related crimes to get a new lease on life.

“I was incarcerated when my son was only five months old,” ORBIT participant Jessica Benade said. “I’m in here for, technically, my fourth DUI.”

Benade is a mother to a 3-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son.

“I’ve had a past history of alcohol abuse, Benade said. “I actually had three years and 10 months of sobriety before I relapsed.”

The 42-year-old said having back-to-back babies and dealing with postpartum issues led to her relapse. She has been in jail for almost two years now.

“It was extremely hard. But one thing that really helped me stay connected to my babies is that the jail let me pump, so I was able to provide my breast milk to my son, and I did that for a year in here,” Benade said.

She said she cried every day.

“Because in the past, I’ve done this to myself, not my children. So it was really hard,” Benade said.

She credited the ORBIT program for being a lifesaver.

“The Sheriff’s Office believes in not just first, but second and third chances,” Henrico County Sheriff’s Office Program Manager Debbie Morton said. “In early parts of 2016-2017 during the opiate epidemic, we had a slew, a lot of folks that came through,” Morton said.

The four phases include “RISE” (Recovery In a Safe Environment) and “Green Team,” where participants give back through community service, work release, and lastly, home incarceration.

Inmates also exercise, participate in spiritual meditation, and get help with resumes and job-seeking.

Morton said Benade has been a standout, which prompted her early release to home incarceration.

“She has been amazing throughout this whole process. Everything that we have asked her to do, as far as curriculum, papers, groups, meetings, leading, you know, even as a peer amongst her peers in the recovery program, she has just been a leader,” Morton said. “We felt like she deserved the chance to go home to be with her family for Christmas.”

“When she said Christmas Eve, I had tears coming down, because that’s the best thing I can give my kids and husband, is for me to actually be there,” Benade said.

Benade said she plans to surprise her children.

“I made my daughter a little countdown calendar, and I said the last day you’re going to have a big surprise,” Benade said. “She’s going to rip off the last day, and then her surprise is going to be at the door, which is going to be me.”

Benade’s face was full of joy and excitement as she envisioned their reactions to her returning home.

Marcus Parker is another ORBIT success story.

“I was incarcerated a full total of 35 months,” Parker said.

He served time for dealing drugs, went through the ORBIT program and has now been employed with Henrico County Public Works for almost three years.

“I was 28 years old, maybe 27, at the time,” Parker said. “Never had a job, always sold drugs, and she [Morton] saw that I was a good person, you know. She introduced me to the county, and I’ve been here ever since.”

Parker said he is never going back to his old ways.

“Being home and doing it the right way and having fun, enjoying my life is just beautiful to me,” he said.

Since being released, Parker found his passion in stocks and real estate. He bought a house, which he is nearly finished renovating with the intention of turning it into a rental property.

Parker said he hopes to invest in more properties in the future and credits the ORBIT program for setting him on the right path.

He wants others to know that they have options.

“Explore those options before you go into crime. It’s funny, because crime really doesn’t pay,” Parker laughed. “I always thought that was this corny thing to say, but no, it’s the truth. I mean, that time they take from you, the risk outweighs the reward.”

Benade said she is grateful for her experience too.

“I am actually so thankful for this program because I’ve been able to grow. I know the mistakes I’ve made. I know they don’t define me. I’ve been able to forgive myself. That took the longest time,” Benade said.

“I was so disappointed in myself, and I couldn’t believe I did this to my family, let them down. But because of the program, I’ve been able to forgive myself, been able to love myself. And when you do that and you really want recovery for yourself, you’ll be able to give your love to the others,” Benade said.