Oakland County Adult Treatment Court (ATC)

In the past, felony defendants that had substance abuse problems were processed under a “nail ‘em and jail ‘em” philosophy by the criminal justice system.  After conviction, these defendants would be incarcerated until release and would not receive any meaningful substance abuse treatment or counseling during their jail or prison stay.  As a result, when returned to society, these individuals were still active addicts that usually sought out their drug of choice as quickly as possible.  If the funds to buy their desired drug ran low, the usual course of conduct was to re-offend. The likely result was a new arrest and an inevitable return to jail or prison.  In an attempt to halt this endless cycle of criminal behavior by substance abusers, the concept of ATC was developed.  Under this type of “therapeutic jurisprudence”, a team of judges, lawyers, probation officers and treatment providers work collectively to provide structure and a realistic path to sobriety for those that want to remain drug free and are willing to work toward that objective.

In the Oakland County Adult Treatment Court, the goal is to treat the underlying motivation for the crime, the drug abuse and addiction. Participants must meet an eligibility criteria that excludes drug dealers and violent offenders.  If a participant qualifies, they are placed in ATC and required to achieve success in the very structured program that depends upon objective verification for any reported success.  The program consists of four stages and usually requires 16-18 months to successfully complete.  If the participant is unable to complete the program, they are re-sentenced upon termination to a likely term of incarceration in jail or prison.  

While it is certainly frustrating to witness the ups and downs of addiction, it is exceptionally rewarding to see ATC participants successfully overcome their dependence on illegal drugs.  Perhaps the biggest winner when sobriety is achieved, however, is society at large. With the assistance of the tools provided by ATC, successful participants return to their families,  return to the job sector and once again become tax paying members of their community.  Having enjoyed such renewed success in their lives makes it much less likely they will return to a life of crime.  Simply put, the recidivism rate for those that complete ATC is much lower than for other substance abusers in the system.  Additionally, successful participation helps ease the likelihood of jail overcrowding and the potential early release for the other non-ATC criminals that are recognized and identified as violent offenders.  Finally, the per person cost of running programs like ATC is significantly less than the cost to house a prisoner in jail or prison.  Simply put, ATC is a cost effective program that helps stretch very strained budgets, helps save very precious tax payer dollars and helps rehabilitate the individual participants.  If elected Prosecutor, Randy Secontine will continue to support ATC, and other like projects that provide numerous objective benefits to Oakland County citizens and yet, don’t risk public safety.

Randy has proudly represented the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office in ATC since March 2004.  Court sessions are held twice a month (every other Wednesday afternoon) and are open to the public.

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