The 55th District Court Sobriety Court held its 35th graduation ceremony on June 9 at Mason City Hall. With this ceremony, there are now 420 successful graduates of the program.
"Our Sobriety Court continues to be a win-win situation, proving rehabilitation effectively protects the community, saves significant taxpayer money, and returns citizens to productive lives," said Judge Donald L. Allen, Jr., who presides over the Court. "We are very proud of our program, our participants, and of the community support we consistently receive.
"The long term success of Sobriety Court is based upon close supervision of probationers by an interdisciplinary team dedicated to the safety of our community."
According to research conducted in April 2011, recidivism rates for its graduates are significantly better than the national average for similar programs.
- 81% of 55th District Court Sobriety Court graduates had not been re-arrested, compared to the national average of 75 percent (source: National Drug Court Institute, 2010)
- 93% of Sobriety Court graduates had not been convicted of new alcohol or drug related offenses (source: 55th District Court Recidivism Study, 2011)
In addition to reducing crime and protecting the public, the Sobriety Court is saving Ingham County taxpayers by reducing the time offenders are spending in jail.
Local records indicate OWI 3rd offenders were previously sentenced to an average of 30 days in jail and OWI 2nd offenders were sentenced to an average of 14 days. Because participants avoid "up front" jail terms by entering the program, jail utilization has significantly decreased.
In fiscal year 2014, the court reduced incarceration for OWI 3rd offenders by 810 days and for OWI 2nd offenders by 882 days. At $54 per day, this represents a savings of $91,368.
Published: Mon, Jun 29, 2015
