Shawano County Drug Court could be in jeopardy

Low enrollment cause for concern with county board
By: 
Lee Pulaski
City Editor

The Shawano County Drug Court program is still in its infancy, but there is a very real threat that grant funding for the program could be stripped if the county doesn’t find more people to participate.

The drug court was a topic of heated discussion Feb. 24 by the Shawano County Board of Supervisors. Drug court officials and legal representatives pointed out that, in spite of the ongoing issue of drugs in the county, finding people to go through the program for 14-24 months is not as simple as busting someone for possessing a marijuana joint.

Currently, there are eight people going through the county’s drug court program, which has a capacity for 20 people. However, the referrals are not coming in, even though referrals can be made by judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys and others.

If the county can’t increase its numbers, it risks losing $107,000 in grant funding. The program has the potential to save the county more than $400,000 annually in incarceration and other costs if participation is at capacity.

“DHS (Department of Human Services) is afraid that, if we don’t get things improved, we’re not going to get the funding from the state the next time around, and that the drug court is failing,” said County Board Chairman Tom Kautza.

Becky Edgren, the county’s drug court coordinator, noted that the county approved its drug court in 2017 and, after a year of training, started it in earnest in late 2018. She said that the stringent requirements of the program limit the enrollment to high-risk, high-need offenders, and only in cases where the person does not have a record of violent crimes. The program is for those who are drug dependent — not those dealing the drugs, according to Edgren.

“The National Association of Drug Court Professionals states that research has proven that drug courts work better than jail or prison. They work better than probation and better than treatment alone,” Edgren said. “Drug courts significantly reduce drug use and crime and do it cheaper than any other system and any other justice strategy that is used with these people.”

Shawano-Menominee County Circuit Court Judge William Kussel Jr. noted that the reason for the high-risk offenders being targeted is because they have been involved with drugs long enough that only a large treatment program is effective. First-time users can usually get treatment in a shorter time frame, he said.

“These are people who need our time and our effort,” Kussel said of the high-risk offenders. “We are aware that drug court is very time consuming. It’s very, very expensive, not only for the county but it’s also time-consuming for those who are admitted into it.”

As a recommendation to help bolster the drug court program, Kussel suggested that the county turn the part-time family court commissioner position into a full-time post so that more people can be helped through drug court. He noted that the court calendars are very congested, making it difficult for him and fellow Circuit Court Judge Katherine Sloma to have the time to check up on enrollees.

“Drug court is not a free ride. It’s very difficult,” Kussel said. “Their lives are controlled by that drug court team. They’re told where they can live pretty much. They’re told the jobs they can have and can they be employed and their hours of employment, who they can talk to, who their friends are, what they can do. They have to go through multiple meetings and multiple sessions.”

Edgren said there are currently no referrals waiting to be screened. She noted that only Shawano County residents can be referred, sparking concern from board members that no one from the Menominee Reservation can be eligible, as 99% of the reservation is outside Shawano County, even though the court system includes Menominee County.

Laura Nelson, an assistant district attorney who has handled much of the drug court traffic since November 2019, told the county board that the district attorney’s office has the final say on whether someone is admitted into the program. Nelson noted that setup is not unusual, as Marinette County operates its drug court the same way — something she saw first-hand as a defense attorney in that area.

Nelson also pointed out that state Highway 29 is a major corridor for drug trafficking, and many of those apprehended by law enforcement do not live in the county, so they can’t be considered for the local drug court.

“People come up here for a lot of recreational opportunities, and unfortunately, they bring drugs with them,” Nelson said. “That’s one of our struggles. We can charge them here because this is where the crime happened, but we don’t get all of those people that are eligible for drug court because they are not residents of Shawano County.”

Nelson noted that candidates for drug court also have to face a minimum probation sentence of two years. She said that some offenses, like the first-time possession of THC, only carries with it a one-year period of probation.

“These are not kids smoking weed in the basement that we’re targeting, and that’s not by my definition,” Nelson said. “That’s the terms of the drug court team.”

Kautza, the county board chairman, is tasking the county’s public safety and health committees to look at the drug court program and figure out what to do to keep the state funding from being lost.


lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com