Adult Treatment Court celebrates largest class of graduates

On Wednesday, Jan. 23, at 2 p.m., the Oakland County Adult Treatment Court (ATC) will conduct its 34th graduation since its inception in August of 2001. The 129th through the 137th graduates, (a total of eight) will be honored with a ceremony and reception to be held in the Oakland County Commissioners Auditorium at the Oakland County Courthouse, 1200 North Telegraph Road in Pontiac. Lisa, 47, began using crack at age 18 and fully expected to die of her addiction. Robert, 44, has over fourteen months of sobriety for the first time in 30 years. Pauline, 50, after 20 years of addiction to pain medication, is now in recovery and enrolled at Oakland Community College to pursue a career in the substance abuse treatment field. They are some of the newest graduates of Oakland County Adult Treatment Court, a program that provides treatment and structure to drug addicts/alcoholics whom jail, prison and probation have failed to help. The Adult Treatment Court has served 457 participants to date. The ATC is a four-phase intervention program for non-violent, felony offenders who find it difficult to maintain sobriety. Without acceptance into the ATC program, these individuals would otherwise be facing a probable sentence of months, if not years, in jail or prison. The program's key elements are: extremely close judicial and community supervision, intense substance-abuse treatment, frequent substance-abuse testing, and a long-term commitment to program requirements. In addition, the participants are expected to find and maintain employment, consistently participate in treatment, pay court costs, including restitution to the victims of their crimes, and, of course, take responsibility for the support of their children. Since 2006, ATC participants have paid over $314,500 in court fees and fines. Furthermore, if participants are not employed, they are expected to perform a minimum of 20 hours of community service weekly. In 2012 alone, ATC participants completed 7,368 hours of community service. It should be noted that some of the participants have found permanent employment as a direct result of their service to local non-profits. The ATC team consists of two members of the Oakland County Circuit Court bench: Judge Joan E. Young who presides over the male participants, and Judge Colleen O'Brien who presides over the female participants. Additional members of ATC team include a defense attorney, probation officer, a program supervisor and various treatment providers. While the ATC meets bi-weekly, the team is in daily contact, intensely monitoring and intervening with the program's participants. Notably, the recidivism rates for graduates of the Adult Treatment Court are 37% lower than felons who never participate in the Adult Treatment Court. Additionally, according to The National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) website, "Nationwide, for every $1.00 invested in Drug Court, taxpayers save as much as $3.36 in avoided criminal justice costs alone. When considering other cost offsets such as savings from reduced victimization and healthcare service utilization, studies have shown benefits range up to $27 for every $1 invested. Drug Courts produce cost savings ranging from $3,000 to $13,000 per client. These cost savings reflect reduced prison costs, reduced revolving-door arrests and trials and reduced victimization." O'Brien adds: "The cost associated with alcohol and drug abusing offenders is staggering. The impact on the substance abuser's family is profound. Oakland County Sixth Circuit Court is doing its part through the Adult Treatment Court to address these issues and find solutions that will be mutually beneficial to the defendants, their families, the victims and the community at large." For additional information about this program, contact Jacqueline Howes-Evanson at (248) 452-2154. Published: Tue, Jan 15, 2013

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