We continue to follow the issue of human trafficking across the Valley, going in depth to uncover it's hidden nature and bring awareness to it's prevalence.

After a heartfelt embrace, Youngstown Municipal Court Judge Renee DiSalvo wiped Constance Adams' tears and her criminal charges as she became the third graduate of Grace Court.

It's a program that rehabilitates victims of human trafficking and empowers them to take back their lives through counseling and treatment.

"In the beginning I was really defiant and I wanted to change but I wasn't all the way ready to change," Adams said.

It took gaining Adams' trust first before the Grace Court could break through to her and make any progress.

"Their whole world is based on manipulation. Their trafficker, 'You do this and I'll give you that. You don't do that and this is what's gonna happen. You bring in X amount of money or you're not gonna eat,'" DiSalvo said. "Everything's kind of like manipulation, 'I love you so if you loved me, you would go and do this for me.' So, it's just an entire life of that so when they come to the court imagine how difficult it is for them to trust you when they're saying, 'Well I could put you in jail if you don't do this,'" she said.

DiSalvo said they offer the resources but ultimately, it's the victims who have to want the change.

"I had to accept like the positivity that was coming to me and accept that I was worth making a change for myself," Adams said.

Adams' journey was not without great difficulty.

"I went back out, I wanted to turn back to drugs," Adams said.

"She had, you know, gone back to some things and ended up with this really bad infection and she was paralyzed, she couldn't walk. we did not know if she was going to make it and that was a real big wake up call for her," DiSalvo said.

"I was mentally, physically and spiritually sick," Adams said. "I believe I finally had enough of repetitive miserable cycles, so I pleaded with God, let him in my heart and started to rely on him," she said.

About a year and a half after that, everything changed.

"That little mess up again after I had that little bit of time in my recovery led me to now back in my son's life. I have my own place now, I have two jobs I work in the recovery field," Adams said. "It literally feels so surreal like I'm not really processing all the way but it feels wonderful I'm so proud of myself," she said.

A happy ending like this isn't always the case when there's a trauma bond with the trafficker.

"That's a hard bond to break because it's not only emotional, it's mental, it's physical it's all of it and so the trafficker can very well come back and begin to woo them back into service and we have unfortunately seen that happen and it is heartbreaking," DiSalvo said.

DiSalvo said there's always hope though.

"I just ask all of you when you're out in your daily lives and you come across people who may look different than you, sound different than you, maybe you wanna jump to conclusions when you see them in a certain area of town, don't do that," DiSalvo said addressing the courtroom. "Everybody has a story and everybody has value and everybody has potential and a plan and a purpose for their lives," she said.

As for Adams, she'll be coming back to Grace Court to be a mentor for other victims of human trafficking who may have suffered in the same ways she did.