The Cheboygan County Recovery Court celebrated its 100th graduate on Wednesday, Aug. 5.
The Recovery Court was first started by Judge Scott Pavlich in 2009 and is funded by both the county and grants from the State Court Administrator’s Office.
According to the 53rd Circuit Court announcement, Recovery Court uses a team-based problem-solving approach to divert nonviolent felony offenders with substance use disorders into an intensive treatment court program, rather than serving time in incarceration.
It takes two years for a participant to successfully complete the program. During that time, they must regularly attend court sessions, report to their probation officer, submit to drug testing, attend counseling and support group meetings, maintain full-time employment and secure stable housing. They are held accountable for any violations through community service, inpatient rehabilitation or short jail sanctions.
Those who do not complete the program are sentenced on their underlying cases and sentenced accordingly.
The Cheboygan County Recovery Court team consists of Judge Aaron J. Gauthier, Cheboygan Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Goodrich, defense attorney James Gilbert, Cheboygan Sheriff Todd Ross, MDOC Probation Agent Nathan Purvis, treatment provider Jamie Maltby with Harbor Hall, court administrator Dawn Reo, compliance officer Ron Fenlon and program coordinator Nicole Pawlowski.
According to officials, data shows that treatment courts significantly reduce recidivism. That holds true in Cheboygan County, where Recovery Court graduates have a 69% lower rate of re-offending when compared to similar offenders who did not complete a treatment court program.
“Treatment courts save taxpayer dollars, save lives and increase public safety by reducing recidivism,” said Judge Aaron J. Gauthier in the court’s announcement. “I’m grateful to Judge Pavlich for starting this program several years ago, to our tireless team that is committed to the treatment court model, to our county commissioners for their support of this program and to our graduates, whose lives in the community are the best testimony for treatment instead of prison for many nonviolent drug and alcohol based crimes.”
Gauthier also noted that without the Recovery Court program, its 100 graduates would have spent between 239 to 1,512 years incarcerated, at a cost to taxpayers of between $12-78 million. Instead, graduates spent over 14,000 hours in counseling, attended over 22,000 support group meetings, submitted to over 20,000 drug tests at a positive test rate of only 0.88% and experienced continuous sobriety.
The 100th graduate, described as a young man facing years in prison, completed the program with over 700 days of sobriety and graduated with his felony charges being wiped from his record.
In attendance at the graduation ceremony were several former team members and more than a dozen former graduates, as well as county commissioners, other Northern Michigan treatment court judges and State Rep. Cam Cavitt.
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Cheboygan County Recovery Court celebrates 100th graduate, program impact
Reporting by Jillian Fellows, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / Cheboygan Daily Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jillian Fellows, Cheboygan Daily Tribune | USA TODAY Network
