Michigan Enacts Stronger Specialty Court Law

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder recently signed a few bills into law that create a more efficient system for specialty courts in the state.

Michigan Enacting Stronger Specialty Court Law

Specialty courts, or problem-solving courts, provide an individualized approach to criminal offenders. These can be drug, sobriety, mental health and veteran’s treatment courts, but there are a variety throughout the U.S.

With the new law enacted in Michigan since January 2018, the state will establish certification of its problem-solving courts through guiding principles created by the National Center for DWI Courts. Modeling after these principles ensure individuals receive the individualized help they need under the criminal justice system through more regulation. These guiding principles are designed to reduce recidivism among alcohol offenders.

For any court seeking to adopt a DWI/sobriety court, they need to be certified by the state court administrative office in the same manner as a drug treatment court. Each year, all DWI/sobriety courts that participate in the program must provide the legislature, secretary of state and the supreme court documentation of participants’ compliance with court-ordered conditions. One of those conditions can be an Ignition Interlock.

Ignition Interlock Documentation from Specialty Courts

Some of the information that specialty courts must provide to the state are the percentage of participants who comply with their Ignition Interlock order, those who remove court-ordered Ignition Interlocks without court approval, those who operate a motor vehicle without an Ignition Interlock equipped, and those who have tampered with their Ignition Interlocks. By having this information, the state can determine the effectiveness of their programs in correlation with their Ignition Interlock requirements.

Michigan currently has 185 problem-solving courts. 127 are drug/sobriety courts. During the 2015 and 2016 fiscal year, out of 5,988 participants, 62 percent successfully completed their specialty court program. Problem-solving courts have been a high rate of reduced recidivism in its participants throughout the U.S.

With the enactment of these recent laws, Michigan is taking the steps to serve all under their criminal justice system.

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