Van Buren County is getting a grant of more than $694,000 to run its specialty courts. The money from the state court administrative office will help continue the county’s drug treatment court, the family treatment court, the Swift and Sure Sanctions Program, and the adult and youth recovery courts. The county has also been awarded a grant to set up a sobriety court for second and third-time drunk driving offenders. Specialty Courts Administrator Rachel Lindley tells WSJM News the programs are designed to help keep some offenders from being stuck in the system indefinitely by giving them extra attention.
“The idea of specialty courts is to provide specialized services to certain populations that have a very specific need, and the whole point is to make sure that they get those services while they’re still in the system, so it reduces recidivism, unites families, and makes communities safer,” Lindley said.
Lindley says the hope is to keep some offenders from returning to jail, or even avoid having to put them in jail in the first place. Offenders who go through a specialty court might receive random drug testing, case management, or mental health services. Since their inception, Van Buren County’s specialty courts have been run with state and federal grants.
