Racine County Drug and Alcohol Treatment Court begins hearing cases

Madison, Wisconsin - February 8, 2006

Chief Judge Gerald Ptacek announced today that the Racine County Drug and Alcohol Treatment Court – one of just a handful of treatment courts in Wisconsin - held its first court hearings on February 2, 2006, and is accepting appropriate cases.

“After more than a year of planning and training, the Drug Court team has achieved its goal of establishing a pilot project serving between five and 10 individuals,” Ptacek said. “The members of the team should be very proud of their accomplishment, which is a model for successful court-community collaboration.”

Ptacek added that the new treatment court was created with no formal funding other than $5,000 earmarked by Racine County for drug treatment. “We can now go forward to build on this base and apply for funding in order to expand the Drug Court to reach our goal of handling up to 50 cases per year,” Ptacek said.

The Drug Court team evaluates fourth offense drunk drivers for participation. After an alcohol, drug and mental health assessment, the team determines if the individual is suitable for Drug Court. Once accepted, the person enters a plea and is given a sentence that makes use of probation with conditions to include jail time and treatment designed to meet the needs of the offender. The individual then has frequent contact with the Drug Court, appearing every two weeks before the judge. Prior to each court appearance, the Drug Court Team meets to discuss and evaluate the person’s progress. Those who are succeeding receive praise, encouragement and earn incentives, while those who are not may be ordered to attend additional self-help group meetings, perform community service work, serve additional jail time, or even be removed from the program and returned to the traditional criminal justice system. Graduation requires successful completion of all phases of the program, which can take from 13 months to two years.

“Combining the court process with treatment is a new concept in Racine and holds great promise for the community,” noted Mary Jane Whitmore, a member of the team and a certified drug and alcohol treatment provider.

The Racine County Drug Court team received a federal grant to participate in a yearlong national Drug Court training program that included visits to several drug courts in other states. At the conclusion of the training, the team had designed the Racine County Drug and Alcohol Treatment Court and had written a policy and procedure manual for the program.

“Completion of the training program will also be an essential credential supporting future funding applications,” Ptacek noted.

In addition to Whitmore and Ptacek, members of the Drug Court Team include: Diane Zitzner, First Assistant State Public Defender; Louis Maxey, Assistant District Attorney; Kerry Connelly, District Court Administrator; Mark Cacciotti, State Probation and Parole Agent; Francie Winkler, Executive Director of FOCUS; Cheryl Zimmerman, Zimmerman Consulting, Inc.; Clement Knight, Racine County Human Services Department; and Therese Fellner, Ph. D., Director of Community Research Development Institute, UW-Parkside.

With the assistance of Therese Fellner, the team has developed a method to evaluate the Drug Court program. “Having data showing results is essential for continued community and financial support,” she said.

Nationwide, figures show that Drug Courts have a positive effect on the communities they serve by reducing recidivism, improving the lives of participants and saving money and resources. “I expect our experience will be very positive,” Ptacek said. “I am confident the Racine County Drug and Alcohol Treatment Court has a bright future and will have a positive, lasting impact on drug and alcohol abuse in our community.”

Other Wisconsin Drug and Alcohol Courts are located in Douglas, Dane, La Crosse, and Monroe counties. Several additional counties, including Barron, Eau Claire, Pierce, Trempealeau, Waukesha, and Wood have developed pilot programs to test the concept with a small number of offenders.

For more information contact:
Amanda Todd
Court Information Officer
(608) 264-6256

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