AURORA | Court officials in Arapahoe County and around the state continue to look for different ways to handle defendants whose addictions and mental health issues have landed them in court on a regular basis.
Last week, in Arapahoe County, the first class graduated from the 18th Judicial District’s Recovery Court, a court where prosecutors, defense attorneys, probation officials and others work closely with defendants to keep them in treatment and out of jail. The four graduates who finished their program Nov. 8 were part of a class 28 people enrolled in the recovery court.
Statewide, Colorado judicial officials have launched 76 similar “problem-solving courts.” Others in Arapahoe County include the wellness court, where defendants with a diagnosed mental illness get treatment and if they follow the program’s rules they can stay out of jail. In addition to the 76 courts up and running now, there are another 13 in the planning phases.
“The bottom line for Colorado Judicial is that problem-solving courts work, we embrace them and will continue to establish them when and where we can,” said Rob McCallum, a spokesman for the state’s judicial branch.
The 18th Judicial District, which includes Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties, launched its wellness court in 2009 and later added the recovery court in 2011.
Magistrate Bonnie McLean oversees both courts, which operate out of the Arapahoe County Justice Center in Centennial.
“We built this court two years ago with the shared vision that through effective treatment and supervision we could stem the tide of addiction and achieve positive change in the lives of our clients,” McLean said in a statement announcing the graduation. “These four graduates prove that drug courts work and that treatment, as opposed to incarceration, not only benefits the individual addict, but society as a whole.”
The graduations are an important step, McLean said, because they show that the defendants have found a new life as a result of their sobriety. The length of the program varies from defendant to defendant based on how well they cooperate with their restrictions, but generally lasts at least several months.
The courts can be an odd scene for people used to the often contentious battles that are common in area court rooms. Rather than prosecutors and defense attorneys squabbling in open court, the two sides often sit together at a table for the court’s weekly meetings, working closely together with probation officials and counselors to make sure the defendants enrolled get through the program successfully.
Judge William B. Sylvester, the chief judge in the district, has long been an advocate for the courts.
“We know the problem-solving court model can achieve great results in ensuring clients’ accountability while offering an inexpensive and effective alternative to incarceration,” he said in the statement. “We in the judicial branch are grateful for the continued support of these courts from the General Assembly, prosecutors and the defense bar.”
So far, 19 of the state’s 22 judicial districts have at least one “problem-solving court.” Other courts include drug courts focused on family dependency and neglect cases, DUI courts, truancy courts and veteran trauma courts.