By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
ST. JOSEPH, MI – Berrien County Commissioners have given their stamp of approval to state grants providing funding to problem solving courts and programs in the county. Commissioners accepted nearly $300,000 in state grants for four specialty court programs at their meeting last week.
The county board accepted a number of grants including those for the drug, mental health, and sobriety courts as well as for the Swift & Sure Sanctions and Community Corrections Programs. The grants are for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, 2026 and are from the Michigan State Court Administrative Office.
The Drug Treatment Court received a $60,000 grant from the state for the Sobriety Court program with an in-kind match of $177,402 to cover staffing costs. The grant comes a year after the Trial Court received a one-year planning grant to design the sobriety court.
Information provided by the county indicated that the goal of the Sobriety Court will be to implement a comprehensive community approach to operating while intoxicated offenses to improve public safety and to decrease recidivism.
The Drug Treatment Court also received a grant of $39,697 with a local match of $156,180.80 for staffing. The drug treatment court also receives monies from the Office of Community Corrections and Southwest Michigan Behavioral Health.
With the Mental Health Court program, the county is getting $128,578 and is matching it with $86,745 to continue the work of the program. It also receives additional funding from Southwest Michigan Behavioral Health.
The Swift & Sure Sanctions Probation Program will continue to be funded with a grant from the state of $67,572 with no in-kind county match. It has been in operation for 12 years with the goals of reducing the number of missed appointments, positive drug and alcohol tests, and recidivism.
The Michigan Department of Corrections awarded the county a grant of $157,600 with no local match required. The grant will pay for pretrial supervision programs, substance abuse testing, Men Crisis and Victory Counseling, and behavioral health assessments.
County commissioners accepted two grants through Southwest Michigan Behavioral Health. One is to continue funding the intake assessment coordinator position with a grant of $62,563.80 and a local match of $62,563.81. The other grant is for $90,000 with no local match to fund treatment services.
Problem-solving courts are nontraditional programs that focus on nonviolent offenders whose underlying medical and social problems have contributed to recurring contacts with the criminal justice system. The State of Michigan through the State Court Administrative Office and other agencies fund the programs.
The Mental Health Court was established in 2009, while the Drug Treatment Court was established in 2010. The Swift and Sure Sanctions Probation Program (SSSPP) was established in 2012.
Statewide, the State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) awards millions of dollars each year in grants to courts statewide to fund the operation of problem-solving court (PSC) programs, including mental health, drug and sobriety, and veterans treatment. Data have consistently shown that these specialized courts contribute to less repeat crime, lower unemployment rates, and improved quality of life of graduates.
State Court Justice Kyra Bolden serves as the high court’s liaison to problem solving courts.
“When people ask me how trial courts engage with their communities and provide access to valuable resources, I initially point to problem-solving courts because these programs represent the best of what we do in the judiciary: save lives,” she said. “And we couldn’t do that without this critical state and federal grant funding that gives participants and their families a second chance.”
As noted in the most recent fiscal year 2023 PSC Annual Report, the problem solving courts have been shown to have good results. For example, adult drug court graduates were on average four times less likely to be convicted of a new offense within three years of admission to the program.
Similarly, mental health court graduates were on average over three times less likely to be convicted of a new offense within three years. Nearly all mental health court graduates reported an improvement in their mental health status and in their quality of life upon completing a program.
In all, unemployment dropped dramatically among all problem-solving court graduates. Unemployment dropped by 88 percent for sobriety court and hybrid drug/sobriety court graduates. Unemployment among veterans treatment court graduates dropped by 82 percent. The state has a total of 28 veterans treatment courts.
Unemployment for adult mental health court graduates also dropped by 88 percent and they were on average nearly two times less likely to commit another crime within three years.