By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
ST. JOSEPH, MI – Berrien County’s specialty treatment courts will continue next year after again obtaining state grant funding. Berrien County Commissioners recently accepted the grants awarded by the Michigan State Court Administrative Office for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, 2027.
Grants received were for the Mental Health, Sobriety and Drug Courts. The Michigan State Court Administrative Office funds specialty treatment courts like these in counties around the state each year.
This year, the state is awarding over $125 million in grants to problem solving courts, supporting 180 problem solving court programs around the state. Those 180 programs include 128 drug and sobriety courts, 42 mental health courts, 30 veteran treatment courts, and 10 family treatment courts.
Studies over the years have shown that the problem-solving specialty courts have had 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 has also dropped by 88 percent and they were on average nearly two times less likely to commit another crime within three years.
In Berrien County, the Sobriety Court program is getting a $61,500 and matching it with $182,724.88 in local funds for staffing. The sobriety specialty court has been in operation for one year and receives additional funding from Southwest Michigan Behavioral Health.
According to the county board resolution accepting the grant, the emphasis of the sobriety court is to effectively combine treatment, intensive monitoring and supervision. Random alcohol and drug testing is done along with programming emphasizing rehabilitation for those with operating while intoxicated convictions.
The purpose of the program is to improve public safety, decrease recidivism, and prevent the usual trajectory of untreated alcohol/substance abuse disorders involving frequent arrests, jail sentences, declining health and increased dangers to themselves and others.
The Mental Health/Wellness Court grant is for $128,578 with the county matching $68,557 to cover staffing costs. The Berrien County Mental Health/Wellness Court is a cooperative partnership with Riverwood Center. This specialty court program has been in operation for 16 years.
The goals of the program is to increase people’s compliance with mental health treatment, to increase people’s opportunities for stable living arrangements, prevent convictions for new offenses and to ultimately provide a viable alternative to frequent, repeated incarcerations for committing new crimes and using illegal substances.
The Drug Treatment Court grant is for $40,720 with the local match being $139,757 to cover staffing costs. This specialty court program has been in operation for 16 years and also receives funding from the Office of Community Corrections and Southwest Michigan Behavioral Health.
According to the board resolution, the emphasis of the program is to effectively combine case management, treatment, random drug testing, rehabilitative programing, reinforcement, monitoring and supervision for those diagnosed with substance abuse disorders. The program is seen as a viable alternative to frequent and repeated incarcerations.
In other court related news, the county board accepted funding for the county’s Public Defender’s Office. The county first established the Public Defender’s Office in 2017 and was awarded over $1.5 million from the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission to establish the office.
With the current funding cycle, the county accepted a grant of $5,644,351.73 and matching it with $574,534.13 in local funds for the operation of the Berrien County Public Defender’s Office.
The county board has also approved adding staff to the Berrien County Trial Court’s family division. The family division has seen a sustained increase in the number of delinquent youth with significant mental health, substance abuse, and behavioral health issues before the court and being lodged at the Berrien County Juvenile Center.
The board’s action increases the family division’s staffing to add a licensed, qualified mental health therapist while deleting a case manager position. Half of the salary for the new position is expected to be covered by the Child Care Fund.