10. DWI and Drug Courts earn Six Awards

Chief Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea has worked for funding and authorization for "Treatment Courts.  These courts save millions of taxpayer dollars because offenders do not return to jail or prison.  They make our roads and homes safer.  They lead to the birth of more drug-free babies.  They have turned around the lives of hundreds of people who had been dependent on drugs or alcohol, and their families.

As of 2017, the term "Treatment Courts" has been applied to Adult Drug Courts in one or more counties, Juvenile Drug Court, Family Dependency Treatment Court, DWI Court, DWI/Drug Hybrid Court, Drug/Family Dependency Hybrid Court, DWI/Drug/Family Dependency Hybrid Court, Veterans Court, Mental Health Court, and Tribal Healing-To-Wellness Courts.

They all offer repeat offenders who are not violent the chance to avoid incarceration and further criminal records if they work with lawyers, law enforcement, recovery professionals, social workers, and other professionals through a period of treatment, testing, counselling, and assessment without committing further offenses.

STUDIES:

On Monday, March 2015, the Supreme Court released a study showing the lasting impact of Minnesota's drug courts.  See here.

Drug Court participants continue to have a significantly lower rate of recidivism: Comparing offenders who spent similar amounts of time outside of incarceration (“at-risk time”) during the evaluation period, the new study shows drug court participants consistently had significantly lower recidivism rates. For example, among those offenders who reached four years of “at-risk time” during the evaluation, 28% of drug court participants had received a new conviction, compared to 41% of non-drug court participants.

Drug Court participants spent fewer days incarcerated: Drug court participants spent, on average, 74 fewer days incarcerated in jail or prison compared to similar offenders during the four-year evaluation period. The average cost savings for each drug court participant was $4,288 as a result of this reduced incarceration.

On June 29, 2012, the Supreme Court announced that "drug court participants have lower rates of recidivism, spend less time incarcerated, and make greater progress on social indicators, such as attainment of a driver’s license, than do non-participants, according to the first comprehensive study of the effectiveness of Minnesota’s drug courts.  See here.

The Minnesota Statewide Adult Drug Court Evaluation, a two-and-a-half-year study, compared 644 non-participants to 535 participants from 16 drug court programs covering 23 counties. The two groups were matched o key characteristics including criminal history, chemical dependency status, and key demographics. The study was produced by the Minnesota Judicial Branch State Court Administrator’s Office.

AWARDS:

On August 13, 2013, Judge Robert Rancourt of the X County District Court was inducted unto the x Hall of Fame for Drug Courts.  See here.

“As a judge when I see children separated from their mothers and fathers I know we can do better. When I see our veterans coming home physically and emotion ally broke and getting involved in the criminal justice system due to substance abuse and mental health issues I know we can do better,” said Judge Rancourt as he accepted the induction. “Ladies and gentleman we have to be a voice for the voiceless. We will not stop until we have Drug Court within reach of everyone who needs it in this country.”

On May 31, 2012, the Drug Court serving Cass and Itasca Counties and the Leech Lake Tribe of the Ojibwa People won the 2012 Outstanding Criminal Justice Program Award by the National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA).  See here.

The Cass/Itasca County/Leech Lake Tribal Wellness Court is a multi-jurisdictional court which targets chronic alcohol and drug offenders. The Court combines treatment, sobriety testing, and monitoring to break the cycle of addiction for offenders.  Law enforcement, probation, treatment professionals, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and court officials provide a team approach to assist individuals in overcoming their addiction and becoming law-abiding citizens.  

On March 21, 2012, the Ramsey County St. Paul) Substance Abuse Court (RCSAC) hosted a national training program for drug court teams from around the country.  The five-day Adult Drug Court Planning Initiative training will bring together approximately 90 participants representing 10 jurisdictions.  See here.

Drug Courts have saved Minnesota an estimated $5 million in avoided incarceration costs. Evaluation findings for RCSAC found that graduates were 14 percent less likely to commit a new felony than those in a comparison group within one year of starting drug court or the disposition date. Additionally, graduates were 36 percent less likely to obtain a new conviction than those in a comparison group within three years of exiting drug court or the disposition date. There have been 24 drug-free babies born to mothers while in the RCSAC. 

On July 27, 2011, The Drug Court serving Cass and Itasca Counties and the Leech Lake Tribe of the Ojibwa People received the 2011 NADCP Cultural Proficiency Courage Award, presented for the first time this year, by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP).   See here.

The Cass/Itasca County/Leech Lake Tribal Wellness Court, which is thought to be the only multi-jurisdictional court in the United States, has served as a national model for intergovernmental cooperation.  The Court, which has been in operation since 2006, serves the populations of Cass County, Minnesota, and the Leech Lake Reservation.  The Court has also been the recipient of the Honoring Nations Award by Harvard University. 

On November 24, 2010, the Drug Court serving Cass and Itasca Counties and the Leech Lake Tribe of the Ojibwa People received "Honors" from the Harvard Honoring Nations Program of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development for their Joint Tribal-State Wellness Courts.  The award identifies and celebrates outstanding examples of tribal governance, and to facilitate the dissemination of best practices, it comes with a $10,000 prize that can be used to share the success story with other governments.  See here.

In 2006, Leech Lake set aside generations of racial tension that existed between the tribe and its non-native neighbors in order to focus on community healing.  As a result, a DWI Wellness Court was formed by the Leech Lake Tribal Court and Cass County District Court to adjudicate and rehabilitate substance abusers.  One year later, Leech Lake established a second Wellness Court in collaboration with Itasca County District Court.

On December 20, 2010, the Drug Courts serving in nine counties in the Fifth Judicial District in south central Minnesota recognized by the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) with a 2010 County Achievement Award.   See here. 

Drug courts have been shown to reduce the need for lengthy jail sentences by providing intensive supervision.  They have also been shown to reduce drug use, restore lives, and reunite families.  The first multi-county adult drug courts in the state were developed in the Fifth Judicial District.  Three multi-county collaboration efforts have resulted in the implementation of drug courts serving nine of the 15 counties in the District.

NEWS: 

On October 17, 2016, a new Drug Court was approved for Wright County in the western exurbs.  See here. 

On August 9, 2016, a new Drug Court was approved for Scott County in the southwest exurbs.  See here. 

On May 25, 2015, a new Drug Court was approved in the City of Rochester and Olmsted County in southeast Minnesota.  See here. 

On March 18, 2015, a new Drug Court was approved for Carlton County at the base of the Arrowhead in northeast Minnesota.  See here.

On June 30, 2014, new Drug Courts were approved for service in Morrison, Steele, Waseca, and Rice Counties, and several counties along the Dakota borders in western Minnesota.  A new Veterans Court was also approved for St. Paul in Ramsey County.  See here.

On June 15, 2015, Drug Courts along the Canadian border in Koochiching County and Lake of the Woods County celebrated their successes and anniversaries.  See here. 

On June 29, 2015, the Drug Courts in the Eighth Judicial District in southwest Minnesota celebrated their successes and anniversaries.  These courts serve the Counties of Chippewa, Grant, Kandiyohi, Meeker, Stevens, Swift, and Traverse.  See here. 

On March 20, 2013, supporters of the growing Drug Court system were led in a rally for budget support at the State Capitol by Chief Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea, Governor Mark Dayton, and other leaders.  See here. 

Speakers told the audience that drug courts are a proven solution that saves lives, reunites families, and saves taxpayers money. Minnesota is home to 37 drug courts serving adults, juveniles, families, DWI offenders, the mentally ill, and veterans.

On October 4, 2010, Judge Chad Leduc presided over the Koochiching County DUI/Substance Abuse Court and the Family Dependency Treatment Court on Oct. 1 via video conference from U.S. Congressman James Oberstar's office in Washington, DC.  Never before has a drug court session been held from a congressional office building.  See here. 

Judge LeDuc was in Washington last week to meet with members of Congress about drug court.  Oberstar is Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. 

TREATMENT COURTS IN MINNESOTA, AS OF JANUARY 1, 2017.

As of 2017, the term "Treatment Courts" has been applied to 33 courts, including Adult Drug Courts in one or more counties, Juvenile Drug Court, Family Dependency Treatment Court, DWI Court, DWI/Drug Hybrid Court, Drug/Family Dependency Hybrid Court, DWI/Drug/Family Dependency Hybrid Court, Veterans Court, Mental Health Court, and Tribal Healing-To-Wellness Courts.

They all offer repeat offenders who are not violent the chance to avoid incarceration and criminal records if they work with lawyers, law enforcement, recovery professionals, social workers, and other professionals through a period of treatment, testing, counselling, and assessment without committing further offenses.