First adult drug treatment court graduation held

CENTREVILLE — The 45th Circuit Court of Michigan (St. Joseph County) hosted its first graduation ceremony of the Adult Drug Treatment Court on Aug. 7, 2017 in Centreville.
The graduate, a 28-year-old resident of Three Rivers, completed Intensive Outpatient Substance Use Disorder Treatment, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, programs at the Twin County Community Probation Center, clinical case management, and support groups in order to be successfully discharged from the program.
The ceremony itself consisted of the graduate sharing thoughts on the program, team member testimonials for the progress he’s made, and U.S. Rep. Fred Upton telling the group “there is incredible bipartisan support for the continued funding of drug courts across the country” and that he has seen firsthand the success of these programs in Michigan. “We are all excited to see what your future holds,” said 45th Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman, as he congratulated the graduate.
The Adult Drug Treatment Court (ADTC) was established to more effectively address the number of defendants cycling through the courts and jail who have substantial drug and/or alcohol problems. Team members began planning and training to take the first participants in January 2015, and accepted the first two in November of that same year.
Please see Wednesday's Commercial-News print or e-edition for the full article.