1. Itasca County Wellness Court
Where Treatment and Justice Meet

2. Goals of Drug/Wellness Courts
Enhancing Public Safety
Ensuring Offender and System Accountability
Reducing Costs to Society
Improving the Quality of Life for Addicted Offenders, their Families and Community through recovery

3. What is a Wellness Court?
Specialized court for chemically addicted offenders
Judicially led team approach
Comprehensive and intensive supervision
Judge, probation, law enforcement, treatment
Frequent chemical testing
Treatment services
Immediate sanctions and incentives
Drug courts strike the proper balance between the need to protect community safety and the need to improve public health and well-being; between the need for treatment and the need to hold people accountable for their actions; between hope and redemption on the one hand and good citizenship on the other.

4. How is Drug Court Different from Traditional Court?
Result-oriented vs. process oriented
Coordinated approach
Intensive supervision by court, probation, treatment, and law enforcement
Long-term treatment
High level of accountability
Personal interaction with Judge
“Regular” court is process oriented- charge, conviction, sentence, discharge and then complete
With result-oriented the goal is solving the underlying problem.

5. Itasca County Wellness Court Eligibility
Offense eligibility includes:
Any felony possession of controlled substance crime in the 3rd, 4th, or 5th degree, or gross misdemeanor or felony level DWI crime involving an adult defendant
Resident of Itasca County or resides within a 20 mile radius of Grand Rapids
Non-violent criminal history
Chemical assessment diagnosis of chemically dependent
Voluntarily agrees to participate in Wellness Court

6. Program Phases Program is a minimum of 18 months Phase Objective
Length I
Successfully complete the recommended treatment programs
Minimum of 120 days II
Utilize recovery skills to maintain sobriety and improve life circumstances
III
Continue abstinence and maintenance of recovery, and live a chemical-free lifestyle IV
Transition to a chemical-free lifestyle without court supervision and involvement, and give back to the community
Minimum of 180 days
Supervision is provided by the Minnesota Department of Corrections (30 felony level offenders), and the Itasca County Probation Department (10 gross misdemeanor DWI offenders)
Currently there are 34 active participants
(21 drug, 9 gross misdemeanor DWI,
4 felony DWI)

7. Other Program Requirements
Have employment, be actively looking for employment, be attending school, or be in process of obtaining GED
Disassociation with people who use or possess drugs and/or alcohol
Random drug testing (2-3 times per week initially, decreases as participants progress through the program)
$400 fee to participate

8. At a Glance… 36 active participants
26 felony drug
6 gross misdemeanor DWI
3 felony DWI
1 gross misdemeanor drug
Supervision is provided by the Minnesota Department of Corrections (25-30 felony level offenders), and the Itasca County Probation Department (up to 10 gross misdemeanor DWI offenders)

9. Local Success Since the inception of the program…
Total number of participants
188
Active 36
Graduated
(successfully completed)
75 (49%)
Terminated
(unsuccessful completion)
77 (51%)
Of the 75 graduates, 21 (28%) have re-offended with gross misdemeanor or felony level offenses since program inception in National studies estimate recidivism rates for drug/DWI court graduates is approximately 28%. Bureau of Justice Statistics indicate that within 3 years of release from prison, 77% of drug offenders re-offended.

10. The Team Judge –Honorable Korey Wahwassuck
Tribal Court Judge – Honorable Megan Treuer
County Attorney – Jack Muhar
Probation – Chad Christofferson & Michelle Anderson
Coordinator – Abby Kuschel
Law Enforcement – Deputy John Benton, Officers Mikki Norris and Jeremy Nelson
Treatment Providers –Rapids Counseling; Northland Recovery; Hope House; and Lakeplace
Ali Meyer – Northhomes, Inc.

11. The Verdict Is In…
Drug courts work better than jail or prison, better than probation and treatment alone, significantly reduce drug use and crime, and are more cost effective than any other proven criminal justice strategy.

12. FACTS
Nationwide, 75% of Drug Court graduates remain arrest-free at least two years after leaving the program.
For every $1.00 invested in Drug Court, taxpayers save as much as $3.36 in avoided criminal justice costs alone nationwide.
Drug Courts produce costs savings ranging from $4,000 to $12,000 per client. These cost savings reflect reduced prison costs, reduced revolving-door arrests and trials, and reduced victimization.
For methamphetamine addicted people, Drug Courts increase treatment program graduation rates by nearly 80%.
Drug Court reduce methamphetamine use by more than 50% compared to outpatient treatment alone.
Unless substance abusing/addicted offenders are regularly supervised by a Judge and held accountable, 70% drop out of treatment prematurely.
Drug Courts are six times more likely to keep offenders in treatment long enough for them to get better.

13. Local Program Demographics At intake, of the 114 clients enrolled between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2017
48% were female and 52% were male
All clients identified as either white (84%), American Indian/Alaskan Native (13%), Hispanic (2%), and Pacific Islander (1%)
Clients were on average 33 years old.
7% of clients were military veterans
86% of client had either a GED or high school diploma (51% had diploma/GED, and 35% had some college or advanced degree)
21% were employed
49% had stable housing
32% had a valid driver’s license

14. Local Demographics (continued)
The most common substances used in the previous year at intake were alcohol (83%) and methamphetamine (70%). In addition, 60% of participants had used prescription drugs, and 67% used marijuana.
Based on the LS-CMI, 83% of clients had a high or very high risk need at intake. Only 16% had a moderate risk need at intake.

15. Key Findings
The percentage of participants with stable housing increased from 40% at intake to 71% at discharge (91% among graduates and 54% among terminated participants).
67% of clients had a valid drivers license at discharge, up from 32% at intake (85% among graduates and 51% among terminated participants).
69% of clients had a full-time or part-time job compared to 19% at intake (85% among graduates and 56% among terminated participants).

16. Key Findings (continued)…
Graduates had on average, 724 days of sobriety.
At discharge, 47% of discharged participants (graduates) had LS-CMI risk scores in the low range.

17. Return on Investment Results 2007-2017
Total benefits
$2,607,018
Program costs
$1,654,465
Net benefit (benefits minus costs)
$952,553
Return on investment to society
$1.58

18. Economic Benefits of the Itasca County Wellness Court
Avoided incarceration costs from reduced original sentence $999,687
Avoided incarceration costs from reduced recidivism $870,090
Additional personal income from increased employment $698,904
Additional tax revenues from increased income $38,337
TOTAL BENEFITS $2,607,018

19. Aiming to Solve the Problems of the People Who Come Before the Courts is -
Work Worth Doing!