MASON, Mich. — The 55th District Court in Mason has been hosting Sobriety Court since 2004, and as of Wednesday, 795 graduates have gone through the program.
Graduates of adult drug programs like this one are three times less likely to be convicted of a new drug related offense.
"I wish I would have been given this chance 35 years ago and not gone through everything I've gone through all because of alcohol," said recent graduate Cathy.
She is one of six new graduates of Sobriety Court, a voluntary program that tries to help adults post conviction take control of their addiction.
"I knew, at the end of the day, I had everything I needed so that I wouldn't have a violation, and then, just me like knowing that I wanted this and that this was making my life better and that I wasn't the bad situation I was before or sitting in jail," said former graduate Katie.
Katie now has a job at Mid-Michigan Recovery Services where she helps other adults who are struggling with addiction take the first step toward rehabilitation.
"Because of my involvement with 55th and Sobriety Court, I got my job at MMRS, and so now, I see new clients coming in that are participating, and I'm like oh I just graduated or I'm done, like I went through this," said Katie.
In Michigan, there are 98 drug and alcohol related sobriety programs. Judge Donald Allen Jr., who presides over Sobriety Court, focuses on getting to the root of the problem with participants, often times starting with childhood trauma.
"Dealing with the whole issue of trauma and a lot of people have trauma, and that trauma makes them look at themselves as being less than because why else would my uncle have done this or why else would this neighbor have done that, so they don't love themselves," said Allen.
Judge Allen challenges every participant to look in the mirror and smile at themselves and write down how they feel about themselves when the look in the mirror. Recognizing self-worth is a major part of the program.
"Most times people see the error of their ways, and they say to themselves 'there might actually be something here, there might actually be something I should be doing that different.' And I remind people that you know the very definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing and expect a different result," Allen said. "And so for a lot of people, I'm able to have a connection with them to get them to see that moment of clarity."
By making positive relationships, Judge Allen hopes to rehabilitate adults and prevent future incarcerations for alcohol and drug related offenses.
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