BY LAURA WEINER
Of the more than 500 drunk driving cases seen in the 52-2 District Court each year, 37 percent are repeat offenders.
This stastic is what prompted the Sobriety Court to begin.
‘We were looking for a cure more than a punishment,? the Honorable Judge Kelley Kostin said.
Rather than having these offenders serve jail time, the judges at the 52-2 District Court now look to rehabilitation for a solution through an intensive 18-month program, called Sobriety Court.
Sobriety Court includes three phases. The first lasting three months; the second six and phase three lasts nine months. Each phase includes drug testing, AA meetings, and several other commitments such as community service and court review hearings. Each defendant that enters the program does so voluntarily, and must be chosen by the court system to participate. This program is an alternative to jail time.
Besides allowing people a different option to jail time, Sobriety Court also saves taxpayers money. According to the 52-2 Sobriety Court information pamphlet, each successful participant saves the taxpayers between $7,740 and $30,295 per person.
Sobriety Court was introduced in November of 2004.
‘The program is doing great, and the people that are in it are doing very well,? Kostin said.
There have been no graduates of the program yet in Clarkston, but in Waterford, where there is also a Sobriety Court, there have been many success stories, Kostin added.
Right now, there are 16 people enrolled in the program from the 52-2 District Court. Carol Pummill, the Sobriety Court coordinator, said no major problems have occurred with any of the participants.
‘We have issued a few minor sanctions, but that is about it,? Pummill said.
‘We have issued sanctions for kids coming to their probation meetings late. Part of this program is about responsibility, so we need them to be on time,? Kostin said.
Everyone involved with the program is proud of success so far, and hopes it will continue. The program runs on grants, and fees paid by the participants. There is also a fee a person must pay when they get ticketed for drinking and driving, whether they are accepted into the program or not, with the money going towards Sobriety Court.
A request for grants to continue in the coming years has been submitted and all involved are optimistic for the future.