Oakland County

Adult Treatment Court

(ATC)

The Oakland County Sixth Circuit Adult Treatment Court was started on August 29, 2001. It is a treatment driven court using alternative judicial proceedings for chemically abusing or dependent, non-violent adult felony offenders. Recognizing that many offenders with substance abuse or dependency problems are engaged in criminal activity, because of their abuse or dependency, the Treatment Court works with the offender as an alternative to incarceration. The ATC consists of four phases, and the minimum time to complete the program is 13 months. The court has the capacity for 75 participants. Approximately two years ago, the program was divided into gender specific sessions as it was believed that women and men have different issues and would feel more comfortable discussing these issues in a more gender specific environment. For this reason there are two judges that preside over sessions, one for men and one for women, along with a defense advisor, assistant prosecuting attorney, coordinator, and two probation officers.

The court also obtains advice from a residential treatment therapist and a program analyst from the Office of Substance Abuse Services. A Community Corrections Specialist was added to the staff, in January 2005, for the purpose of identifying potential clients in the early stages of arrest. Other highlights of the program include an art therapy program, and an alumni group that is presided over by drug court graduates. The ATC also celebrated the birth of its first drug free baby in October 2005.