This article appeared in the Marquette County Tribune on October 20, 2011 and was written by Kathleen McGwin.
The Marquette County Treatment Court developed in partnership with Judge Richard O. Wright, Alive and Well, Marquette Chemical Dependency Services, and a steering team made up of the Marquette County Sheriff’s Department, probation and parole, Northland Healthcare Services, the District Attorney and others, continues to offer the opportunity for drunk driving offenders to enter into a treatment plan with the possibility of reducing time in jail served for their offense.
A recent visit to the treatment court held in the Marquette County Courthouse saw offenders reporting to the judge as ordered and Alive and Well Treatment Court Coordinator Janelle Krueger informing the judge about their participation in their recommended treatment plan.
Offenders who meet the criteria for treatment court are screened and voluntarily agree to be in the program which requires random drug/alcohol screens and participation in a treatment program like counseling or Alcoholics Anonymous. They report to the court regularly and the team reviews their participation and success or failures in the program and make recommendations to the judge. At any time, the participant can be ordered to serve his or her full sentence if the requirements of treatment court are not followed.
Krueger reports that since its inception, there have been 19 participants with 10 graduating from the program. Offenders are enrolled for at least two years in the treatment court program. Their jail time may be reduced with successful completion, but they still must pay fines and meet other requirements of the court.
The goal of treatment court is to give repeat drunk driving offenders a chance to enter treatment which may reduce recidivism and increase the chance that the person will remain sober. Judge Wright and the treatment court team hold the participants to a standard of behavior which includes honest reporting, participation in the plan and responsibility to obtain all required documentation. Evidence of this was apparent in last week’s treatment court when one participant, who had ended up back in jail because of drinking, was required to spend part of the remaining sentence in jail and Judge Wright told her and her father who defended her actions because of trouble in her life, “Things happen to everyone, but she has to make the right choices. What happens in your life is no reason to go back to drinking.”
Treatment court has just added a data tracking component that will record and track recidivism and other information.
The photo features Judge Richard O. Wright as he presided over treatment court last week in the Marquette County Courthouse. Treatment Court Coordinator Janelle Krueger (front left) and MCDS Administrative Assistant Crystal Sampson (front right) report about a participant’s progress.