Sobriety Court

3B offers select individuals the opportunity to participate in the Sobriety Court. This program is consisted of a team approach to a very serious personal social problem. The Sobriety Court consists of the District Court Judge, Sobriety Court Probation Officer(s), Prosecutor, Community Corrections Personnel, Law Enforcement, and Substance Abuse Treatment Providers. They are all here to assist in achieving and maintaining sobriety.

The main purpose is to reduce recidivism among repeat drunk drivers using court and community resources. The tools include: intensive supervision, individualized treatment, personal accountability, and frequent judicial review. The goals include: improved public safety and substance-free, sober lives for participants.

Courts in the Schools Program

The Courts in Schools Program blends actual court cases involving defendants who have pled guilty to alcohol and/or drug related offenses with emotionally charged testimony from real people who have suffered the consequences of making bad decisions. Defendants appear before the court for sentencing at a school location.

The classroom actually temporarily becomes the 3B District Court by decree of the Michigan Supreme Court. Presentations from individuals whose lives have been significantly impacted because of their own wrong critical life decisions or by poor choices of others follows the sentencing. It is difficult for anyone to sit through a session and not be moved.

This program illustrates some of the important choices that students and young adults face frequently and the potential long term consequences of those choices. It is the Court’s sincere desire that by experiencing the Courts in the Schools Program, teenagers in St. Joseph County will be more aware of these consequences and more likely to make a wise decision. Since we can’t make it to every high school each year, please watch a session with your teen.

Veterans Justice Outreach Program

The Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) Program is a designed program that collaborates with the VA to identify and work with Veterans having problems or repeated contact with the legal system. The work of the VJO Coordinator includes outreach and collaboration with law enforcement, probation and parole departments, jails, and the court system in St. Joseph County.

The mission is to identify Veterans involved with the justice system who are not currently assessing or fully accessing VA services. These may include outpatient individual or group counseling, social work or psychological services. It may also assist with such services to develop a support network that may benefit the Veteran with personal growth and avoidance of recidivism.