Judge Offers Recovery Court, Veterans Court Overview

You guys should be really proud that you support this program for the people of the community. We now have licensed and insured vehicles back on the road, and they usually have a Blow And Go [in-vehicle breathalyzer] in their car for a year or two. And that gives an indication that the community is a little bit safer.”

LISA ASHLEY, program coordinator Clare-Gladwin Recovery Court

By DIANNE ALWARD-BIERY

Cleaver Senior Staff Writer

HARRISON – At the February Clare County Board of Commissioners’ Committee of the Whole meeting, a presentation was offered on the Clare-Gladwin Recovery Court and Veterans Treatment Program by Judge Joshua Farrell and Lisa Ashley, Recovery Court Program Coordinator.

The judge began by offering what he deemed some good news about goings-on in the community, and that since roughly 2001 he had been asked to give a refresher to veteran commissioners as well as information to new incoming elected officials.

“A lot of people are not familiar with the concept, especially if unfamiliar with the court system,” he said, adding that about 80% of the public will never interact with the judicial system. “It’s interesting to provide statistics about people who do come through this program.”

Farrell went on to describe/define a recovery court, a problem-solving court and a specialty court.

“Basically, it’s if you get a group of people together, and you have some type of problem that’s occurring in family, in community, and you have a collaborative effort to try and tackle that issue,” he explained. “We utilize a wholistic or collaborative approach in that we have determined – as many communities throughout Michigan and throughout the United State – that have very significant substance abuse problems.”

He said that can be pain medication, heroin, methamphetamine, Fentanyl. He said those drugs are coming into the country at a rapid rate, and resulting in overdose deaths and family breakups. Farrell said that in 2011 the Recovery Court Program began which, when someone interacts with the criminal justice system, the program collaborates with judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement, counselors, county treasurers and administrators, and the BOC as a funding agent, probation, and Community Mental Health.

“And we put all these pieces together locally, combine those efforts and try to work with these individuals,” Farrell said. “Work on their sobriety, their education, their experience, their housing, their duty to society. We work on their fines and costs, provide community service, family reintegration, employment, reduction in recidivism – and we do this over about an 18-24 month period. And at the end, similar to high school or college, we actually host graduation ceremonies for these individuals.”

He also offered a bit of history for such programs, noting the first Veterans Treatment Program began in 2008 in Buffalo, and the first Recovery Court/Specialty Court began in Florida in 1989.

“There are now more than 3,800 of these programs nationwide,” Farrell said. “When we started our program, we were one of the first Veterans Treatment Courts in the state of Michigan. There are still only 28 of them statewide, but when we started this there were under 10.”

He added that when the local Problem-Solving Court was started in 2011, there were about 20 statewide, and now there are 136 along with 43 Mental Health Courts and 28 Veterans Treatment Courts.

“So, we were kind of a leader,” Farrell said. “And our experience in leadership has brought great dividends to our local population, but also to the state. We are recognized as a state-certified program for veterans and non-veterans. In fact, we are a mentor court for other communities throughout the state of Michigan. Teams will come in from all over the state, as far as Ontonagon in the U.P. to train in these programs to help residents in their local area.”

The judge said that some of the local statistics are what he is most proud of, and that currently there were 42 members in the program: 33 non-veterans and 9 veterans (combat, non-combat). He noted the number of 42 may seem small, but when one looks at the spiderweb of 42 individuals, the total number of people affected grows exponentially with the addition of spouses and children.

“For a community like this, we’re able to get people back to their work, to their families,” he said. “We have employers throughout the community that maybe previously would have looked at these folks saying, ‘Well, you’ve got a drug problem, you’re out.’”

Farrell said that Recovery Court works hand-in hand with many employers in the community and put participants back to work, and also has been successful with those programs. He said the state is a passthrough  for federal dollars that in-part fund the program.

“I’m proud to announce that since we started the program, we’ve had 136 graduates,” Farrell said. “And we have brought in just a hair over $1.1 million to Clare and Gladwin counties for this program – at no expense to our taxpayers.”

The judge then offered a nutshell description of the program.

“You take an individual, for instance you may have a combat individual returning from service, transitioning to civilian lifestyle,” he said. “They may have suffered a traumatic brain injury, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, aggressive behavior, substance abuse issues. Within 48 to 72 hours of departing a military plane they’re in civilian life and they find themselves in a difficult situation as they transition. So, with our veterans we are very attentive to these medical, psycho-social issues that they deal with: suicide, substance abuse, and a difficult transition to civilian life.

“I’m proud to announce that just last Thursday we actually graduated two combat veterans from our program. We are a regionalized Veterans Treatment Programs – these graduates weren’t actually from here. One was from Gaylord, a very successful individual with extensive combat history. The other individual was from Crawford County.”

Farrell emphasized that the struggle is real for these participants, and that three days after that graduation one of the graduate’s brother, also a veteran, committed suicide.

“So, we struggle with these issues daily,” he said. “The theory of the program is that once an individual is charged with a crime, a defense attorney, prosecutor, community member or family member – the jail works very closely with us – they notify us of an individual that needs help. It’s not notifying us of a person that’s in trouble, it’s somebody that truly needs help. We’ve had some of the richest individuals in this community be part of our program, and we’ve had some of the poorest.”

He was clear that when a person enters the program they are made aware that the program will basically own their life for about two years. Participants meet from 8-9:30 a.m. every two weeks with the judge and the entire 12-13 member team and discuss every participants’ good and bad, congratulate them if they’re doing well and sanction them if they’re doing badly.

The 18-month program has four consecutive phases consisting of three months, four months, five months and six months.

“And while they’re doing that, they’re working on basically everything they need to put their life back together,” Farrell said. “Anything that you can think of, so that when they walk out of the program, they are successful and ready to go. They’re employed, have their driver’s license.”

Ashley then interjected that also includes having a primary care physician, eye appointments, ear, any surgeries.

It was noted that an individual who graduated two weeks prior had not had a driver’s license in 34 years and now has a license, and now does. Farrell noted the program’s 90% success rate for participants re-attaining their driver’s license before graduation as one of the highest in the state.

Another statistic shared was that 85% of every crime committed nationwide involves substance abuse. Farrell spoke to the high cost of incarceration, adding that 85% of individuals who are released from jail will re-offend within 90 days of release.

“We have been very successful,” he said. “We lead the region, we lead the state, and we lead local communities. We exceed all local, regional and state averages for graduates, and that’s why I think we’ve been so successful. And for recidivism – post-graduation, two years, three years, up to five years – tracking their recidivism, our re-offense rates, we beat all of those averages.”

Farrell then urged the commissioners, when they go back into their districts, to convey the message that there is help available.

“Let them know the program’s out there and we’re doing a very good job,” he said. “It’s a great thing; it can be for veterans, for non-veterans, but I think disseminating that information throughout our community is key because a lot of people do struggle with education issues, economic issues – but we also thrive, and the individuals that come through this are very successful.”