Hazel Park court aiming to treat people with substance abuse through new program

(CBS DETROIT) The goal of a Hazel Park court is to treat substance abusers without locking them up.

A judge, probation officer, treatment provider, prosecutor, peer recovery coach, and defense attorney work together to assist the offender during the intense 18-month Hybrid DUI/Drug Treatment Court program.

According to Judge Brian Hartwell of Oakland County’s 43rd District Court, the program is an alternative method of punishment.

“The idea is these are people that need the intensive treatment and supervision that normal probation doesn’t provide,” Hartwell explained.

According to Hartwell, the program’s team meetings enable a judge to take unconventional actions in a courtroom.

“We know they’re gonna relapse, especially in the first few months,” he stated. “So my role is to hold them accountable, but not to jump to punishment, and so we lean in on incentives.”

Normally lasting 18 months, the program can be extended to 24 months if needed.

Offenders can retake the program if they commit another crime after finishing it, according to Hartwell.

In Michigan, there are more than 100 treatment courts.

Adult drug court graduates had a fourfold lower chance of being convicted of a new criminal within three years of enrollment, according to a 2023 report from state officials.

According to the survey, graduates of drug/sobriety courts and sobriety courts had an 88% decrease in unemployment.

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