LANSING, MI, April 15, 2021 – During a live-streamed virtual news conference, Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth T. Clement today announced the publication of the FY 2020 Problem-Solving Courts Annual Report, highlighting the success of Michigan’s 199 problem-solving courts (PSCs). In particular, the report shows that graduates of Adult Drug Court programs were nearly 2 times less likely to be convicted of a new offense within three years of admission to a program. Also worth noting during Alcohol Awareness Month, Sobriety Court graduates were more than 3 times less likely to be convicted of a new offense within three years of admission.
“Even during the pandemic, Michigan’s Problem-Solving Courts have continued connecting with participants and delivering needed services to solve problems and save lives,” said Justice Clement, who serves as liaison to PSCs. “This new data reinforces the amazing work being conducted in these courts to give people who are struggling a second chance, to strengthen families, and to safeguard communities across the state.”
Justice Clement was joined via Zoom in today’s announcement by these PSC team members and partners:
- Judge Shannon Holmes, 36th District DWI/Sobriety Court, Detroit
- Chief Judge Jocelyn Fabry, Tribal Court, Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Sault Ste. Marie
- David Wallace, Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, Huron County Prosecutor’s Office, Bad Axe
- Mark Witte, Executive Director, Allegan County Community Mental Health, Allegan
- Anthony Jackson, Graduate, 36th District DWI/Sobriety Court, Detroit
Other key report findings:
- Drop in unemployment of 96 percent for Adult Drug Court graduates and 86 percent for hybrid (drug/sobriety) court graduates.
- Mental Health Court (MHC) graduates on average—among adult circuit, adult district, juvenile—were 2-3 times less likely to commit another crime within three years of admission to a program.
- Drop in unemployment of 71 percent for adult district MHC graduates.
- Average of 97 percent improvement in mental health status among adult circuit, adult district, juvenile MHC graduates.
- Average of 96 percent improvement in quality of life among adult circuit, adult district, juvenile MHC graduates.
- Drop in unemployment of 81 percent among Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) graduates.
- Michigan remains a national leader with 27 VTCs.
During the news conference, Huron County Chief Assistant Prosecutor David Wallace noted that:
“We know that Sobriety Courts work. There is no program more successful at permanently changing the behavior of high-risk impaired drivers than sobriety courts. . . . This means, those individuals are now law-abiding citizens, and no longer creating new cases in the court system. They are no longer requiring law enforcement officers to respond to something they did, or for the jails to hold them while they are being prosecuted or having to sit in prison as part of a sentence. It is a win-win for everyone and the public is that much safer.”
Problem-Solving Courts focus on providing treatment and intense supervision to offenders as an alternative to incarceration. These include drug and sobriety, mental health, veterans, and other nontraditional courts. The Supreme Court, through its State Court Administrative Office, assists trial court judges in the management of these courts by providing training, education, operational standards, monitoring, certification requirements, and funding. Find out more about PSCs here.
You can watch the news conference below:
