The HARP Program, which stands for Helping Addicts Recover Progressively, is a peer-to-peer addiction recovery program run inside the Chesterfield County Jail, in Chesterfield, Virginia. The program was started in 2015 by Sheriff Leonard in response to the jail system being unable to effectively handle the number of incarcerated individuals who were struggling with addiction. 

The HARP program is unique in that it allows program participants an unprecedented level of autonomy, even while still incarcerated. Furthermore, participants who are released from jail may return to the jail to attend the group meetings. They may even check themselves into the jail overnight if they fear a relapse. These elements of the HARP program directly address one of the greatest challenges at the intersection of incarceration and addiction - that upon release, addicts often lose access to the support network they leaned on while incarcerated.

This project (along with my films There and Back Again and Spur'n Up Hope) provide a glimpse into the world of this program. 

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