By Tom Kirvan
Legal News
Participants in the Oakland County drug court programs are encouraged to carry small notebooks.
Those handy little books will help keep them straight--in every sense of the word.
Court dates. AA or NA meeting times. Drug tests. Work hours. Community service duties.
All part of an equation that hopefully won't add up to jail time.
The programs for juveniles and adults have been around since 2001 in Oakland County, and are designed to curb the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol. As an offshoot, the programs aim to reduce recidivism in drug-related criminal activity, according to Oakland County Circuit Court officials. Offenders are funneled into the programs if they have been charged with a series of drug or alcohol offenses, yet show a desire to seek help in hopes of becoming productive members of society.
The Oakland County drug courts, like others nationwide, were launched with the help of state and federal funds that served as seed money to implement and expand participation in a program that combines treatment with accountability, according to Pamela Davis, manager of Court Services for Oakland County Circuit Court.
The availability of funds from federal and state sources, of course, has become problematic in today's tough economic times, forcing supporters of the drug court programs to look toward the private sector to keep the system afloat. Two years ago, drug court backers created "The RESTORE Foundation" to help supply funds for the juvenile and adult treatment programs in Oakland County.
"We are deeply grateful and heartened by the widespread support that the community has shown for the drug court programs," said Circuit Court Judge Wendy Potts, president of the 14-member board of directors for The RESTORE Foundation. "The donations that we have received help supply the means to keep these programs alive and viable."
The Oakland County Bar Foundation this year awarded a $10,000 grant to RESTORE, according to Mike Sullivan, president of the OCBF. The principal source of funding for the grant is supplied by the Bar Foundation's annual Signature Event, scheduled for this Friday, April 16, at Oakland Hills Country Club. The OCBF expects to raise more than $150,000 at this year's gala, which will run from 7 to 10 p.m. at Oakland Hills, site of the PGA Championship in 2008.
"We have invested in a program that is making a real difference in the lives of participants," Sullivan said of the drug court programs. "The cost benefits are real and impressive."
From a cost benefit standpoint, the savings that the drug court programs have produced are striking, according to Davis. In an October 28, 2009 report submitted to the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, Circuit Court officials noted that the cost to Oakland County taxpayers since the inception of the Adult Treatment Court (ATC) program has been approximately $100,000.
"If not for the ATC, potential cost to the county tax payer to incarcerate these offenders would have been $3,500,000, a cost savings of $3,400,000," officials stated in the report.
Relatedly, the cost to Oakland County taxpayers for the Juvenile Drug Court (JDC) since its formation has been approximately $400,000, officials indicated.
"If not for the JDC, potential cost to the county tax payer for out-of-home placement would have been $4,500,000, a cost savings of $4,100,000," officials wrote in the report.
Circuit Court Judge Edward Sosnick has presided over the JDC program since it began in June 2001, according to Davis. Judge Joan Young has presided over the ATC since 2002. Realizing the unique needs of males and females, court officials decided to "bifurcate the program in 2003," according to Davis. At that time, Judge Colleen O'Brien assumed the women's program, while Young maintains the men's program. The judges keep twice-monthly tabs on participants, meeting in open court with them every other week to assess their progress.
"All of the judges involved in the drug courts are volunteering their time," Davis said. "They have made tremendous personal investments in the success of the programs."
Participants must complete a series of treatment phases before they are eligible for "graduation" from the program, Treatment includes intensive group and individual therapy sessions; attendance at AA and/or NA meetings; weekly substance abuse testing; and community service work. In some cases, the program can take up to two years to complete.
Like all drug courts, the Oakland County program utilizes a "non-adversarial approach," where all team members "promote public safety while protecting participants' due process rights," according to Michigan Drug Court Program materials.
In the 2009 report, county officials stated that there had been 279 participants in the ATC since its inception with 78 graduates, reflecting a "graduation rate" of 28 percent. Since the beginning of the JDC, there have been 186 participants and 94 graduates for a graduation rate of 51 percent.
The ATC boasts a recidivism rate of 16 percent, which is significantly lower than the 53 percent national rate for felons who never participated in a drug court program, according to Davis. The JDC has a recidivism rate of 31 percent, again significantly lower than the 70 percent national rate for juvenile offenders who never participated in a drug court program, Davis reported.
"In the juvenile program in particular, families are very much involved in the treatment process," said Davis, a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Detroit Mercy.
"We offer intensive substance abuse and mental health treatment, parenting groups, family therapy, and stress the importance of education in tackling the cycle of addiction. In both the juvenile and adult courts, we are deeply invested in the concept of therapeutic jurisprudence, believing that our programs help individuals break the cycle of drug and alcohol dependency, restoring lives and reconciling families."
Published: Thu, Apr 15, 2010
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://test.legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
