Every day in courtrooms across our state, judges see individuals whose criminal behavior is driven by untreated substance use and mental health disorders. Unless these underlying issues are addressed, many will continue to cycle through the justice system, straining law enforcement, courts, and taxpayers. Treatment courts are the most effective strategy for breaking this cycle. In fact, they are the most successful justice intervention in our nation’s history.
Treatment courts are an accountability-driven approach that combines rigorous supervision and judicial oversight with evidence-based substance use and mental health treatment. Their impact extends far beyond reducing crime. Treatment courts save lives, strengthen families, improve employment and housing stability, and free up law enforcement to focus on community safety.
Ellis County Recovery Court has been in operation since 2018 and has had seventy-eight individuals graduate from the program. As treatment courts expand in Kansas, we are proud to have an established, effective treatment court that has served as a model for others. Our rural community is fortunate to have a team of judicial employees, probation officers, substance use and mental health treatment providers, law enforcement and attorneys willing to dedicate the time and effort to changing lives for the better while assisting justice-involved individuals on the road to recovery.
The largest and most comprehensive multi-site study ever conducted on treatment courts found reductions in crime averaging 58% and savings of more than $6,000 for every individual served. Researchers have also found that treatment courts produce significant improvements in education, employment, housing, financial stability, and family reunification.
Treatment courts are our most effective approach at the intersection of addiction, mental health, and justice involvement. As this year’s National Treatment Court Month comes to an end, this should serve as a call to action to expand access to this proven community-based solution. Because when one person, family, and community rises, we all rise
— Teresa Greenwood,
Coordinator for Ellis County Recovery Court Team