The effectiveness of the Sobriety Court program at the 18th District Court in Westland was recently recognized in a report from the Michigan Supreme Court.
The state court released the FY 2022 Problem-Solving Courts Annual Report, tracking the progress and highlighting the success of 207 problem-solving courts across Michigan from Oct. 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2022. The Westland Sobriety Court, developed in 2014, is a program designed to help individuals overcome issues such as substance abuse and lower high recidivism rates for repeat drinking and driving offenders.
“Our Sobriety Court is a lot of hard work, but it is all worth it. I have been told more than once that I have saved a probationer's life,” said 18th District Court Chief Judge Mark A. McConnell. “The change in some of our participant's lives is unbelievable. Presiding over a treatment court is the most important function I perform as a district judge. It is really true that our state's treatment courts are lifesaving, and providing a great benefit to our local communities.”
Judge Sandra Ference Cicirelli is also pleased with the success and effectiveness of the Sobriety Court.
“As a treatment court judge, I have witnessed firsthand the remarkable changes in our participant's lives. Even people who are at first reluctant to enter the intensive 15-18-month program, have expressed their gratitude at graduation. There is no doubt in my mind that treatment courts save lives.”
The study noted that state adult drug and sobriety programs grew from 98 programs in 2018 to109 programs in 2022. The study also revealed that graduates of adult drug court programs were, on average, more than three times less likely to be convicted of a new offense within three years of admission to a program. In addition, sobriety court graduates who used an ignition interlock device were nearly five times less likely to be convicted of a new offense within three years of admission, according to the report.
The study also concluded that unemployment dropped by 88 percent for adult drug court graduates, 86 percent for sobriety court graduates and 85 percent for hybrid court (drug/sobriety) graduates.
Problem-solving courts focus on providing treatment and intense supervision to offenders as an alternative to incarceration, officials said. Alternative programs include drug and sobriety, mental health, veterans, and other nontraditional courts. The Michigan State Court Administrative Office, assists trial court judges in the management of these courts by providing training, education, operational standards, monitoring, certification requirements, and funding.
“Problem-solving courts exemplify how we are working to increase public trust and confidence in the judiciary through collaboration and compassion-an overarching goal of our Michigan Judicial Council,” said Justice Kyra H. Bolden, the problem-solving court liaison for the Michigan Supreme Court. “What struck me the most about this report is that these pages are not just filled with numbers and milestones; they are filled with hope and humanity.”
