The First-Ever Facebook Live From Jail Had A Life-Saving Message

The Facebook Live post that should change the way America has been addressing the intersection of the addiction crisis and criminal justice reform.

This past week was the very first Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week, designated by President Obama in a signed proclamation. I was fortunate enough to add my voice to the cause via a Medium article for the White House on Thursday. While I was honored to speak up on behalf of the more than 45 million Americans impacted by addiction and recovery, I thought it would be even more relevant to end this important week with a message from some men who are proving the status-quo dead wrong.

So, I picked up the phone and called my good friend John Shinholser with the McShin Foundation in Richmond, VA. John is on the front-lines every day, healing families and saving lives. He’s helped to implement one of the most unique, progressive recovery programs in America, the Chesterfield County Jail Heroin Addiction Recovery Program (aka HARP). I asked him if we could get the County Sheriff to allow us to bring a cell phone into the tank and let the inmates take over my Facebook LIVE to tell their stories. After talking with the Sheriff, not only did he give us permission, he said this is something that must be done. You see, Sheriff Karl Leonard – a Republican from a rural Virginia county – has seen the deaths and devastation from addiction first-hand. He deals with it every day. And he’s sick and tired of politics as usual. Sheriff Leonard was willing to try something different with respect to how we’re facing addiction in America. He’s facing it with urgency, compassion, empathy, and skill. And it’s beginning to heal his community.

These guys have a message for Hillary, Donald and the rest of America. See for yourself: