Sobriety Court Graduates Say the Program Works

On Thursday night, Judge Marla E. Parker and the officers of the bade farewell to the four newest Sobriety Court graduates, who left the two-year diversion program for a new life. If the overwhelming statistics are to be believed, they won't be in front of a judge for an alcohol-related offense again.

Sobriety Court made a believer out of Val Notto of Redford Township, who came under the program's oversight in 2005. He said it helped him break a 35-year addiction to alcohol.

"It changed my life," he said. 'It was the first thing in my life that helped me stop drinking. The court system has been my biggest supporter."

Although he finished the two-year program more than four years ago, he said he still stops by to say "thanks" and "hi" to the officers and office workers at the 47th District Court.

Leslie Lampinen of Commerce Township has been out of the care of the Sobriety Court for as long  as Notto. She said the people involved have helped her in many ways.

"I didn't feel so alone," Lampinen said. "The help and the counseling have kept me sober. They helped me stay on the path and were there for me until I was more stable and responsible."

Now she's got a better life and a better outlook on how to approach it. Lampinen said she comes to Sobriety Court graduations to remind her of how far she's come.

Sobriety Court aims to reduce drug- and alcohol-related crime through treatment. People eligible for the program had a .15 blood alcohol level or higher (the legal limit is .08) at the time of their arrest, a high score on an addiction assessment and a record of alcohol-related offenses. The court also accepts individuals independently of those criteria, at its administrators' discretion.

Program participants must comply with orders to undergo substance abuse treatment, education including life skill development and submit to frequent drug and alcohol testing. The Sobriety Court program lasts two years.

Marygrove College Professor Debbie Hanselman, a former clinical therapist with Oakland Family Services, said the program has graduated 40 people since it's creation in 2004. Since then, none of the graduates have reentered the court system for a drunk driving offense. She credited that success to the length of the Sobriety Court program.

"The longer someone is in oversight of the system, the longer they're attending (Alcoholics Anonymous)," she said. "The longer they're in AA, the better they will do. My experience and the statistics tell me this works."

She said the program is a win for everyone in that it saves lives, saves money (treatment is far cheaper than incarceration) and helps the people participating to mint new lives.

47th District Court Probation officer Jessica Grzegorzewski said the program aids the court chiefly by reducing recidivism. Since the program was launched, none of the 40 people who have graduated have been back in the court system for drunk driving offenses. She knows this as a clinical fact; her office did a criminal history on all of them just a short time ago.

She said the program is popular in southeast Michigan.

"There are quite a few of them in this area," Grzgorzewski said. "The research shows it works."