Hazel Park court aiming to treat people with substance abuse through new program
(CBS DETROIT) — A court in Hazel Park is aiming to treat people with substance abuse while keeping them out of prison.
The Hybrid DUI/Drug Treatment Court is an intensive 18-month program involving a judge, probation officer, treatment provider, prosecutor, peer recovery coach and defense counsel collaborating together to help the offender.
Judge Brian Hartwell of the 43rd District Court in Oakland County says the program is a different way of sentencing.
"The idea is these are people that need the intensive treatment and supervision that normal probation doesn't provide," Hartwell said.
Team meetings that occur during the program allow a judge to act untraditionally in a courtroom setting, according to Hartwell.
"We know they're gonna relapse, especially in the first few months," he said. "So my role is to hold them accountable, but not to jump to punishment, and so we lean in on incentives."
The program is normally 18 months, but can be extended to 24 months if necessary.
Hartwell says offenders who commit another crime after completing the program are able to take it again.
There are over 100 treatment courts in Michigan.
In a 2023 report, state officials noted graduates of adult drug courts were four times less likely to be convicted of a new offense within three years of enrolling.
The report also said unemployment dropped 88% for sobriety court and drug/sobriety court graduates.
