News Photo by Julie Riddle Alpena’s 88th District Court Magistrate Liz Skiba on Wednesday explains the application process for state funding of Alpena’s drug court.

ALPENA — More than $150,000 in state money will help special courts in Northeast Michigan steer residents away from repeat drug- and alcohol-related offenses next year.

The annual State Court Administrative Office problem-solving court grants — this grant cycle totalling nearly $17 million awarded to drug, mental health, and veterans treatment courts — bolster local problem-solving courts that provide an alternative to jail for offenders most at risk of repeating their crime.

The state granted Alpena’s 88th District Court drug court $35,000 for 2022, down some from previous years, Alcona County’s drug court $56,500 for 2022, on par with recent years, and the Montmorency County veterans treatment court $60,000, the most ever awarded to that court.

Alpena’s drug court currently averages 10 participants, though it could accept up to about 20, according to Magistrate Liz Skiba. The Alcona County drug court currently oversees 12 participants, with another four recently graduated from the program, that county’s District Court staff reported.

Drug court participant numbers declined in recent months, with COVID-19 restricting in-person gatherings and shifting the nature of crimes committed, Skiba said.

The court relies on state and federal funding, but it also needs human resources to run smoothly — a challenge in recent months because of staff turnover, including the retirement of the court’s magistrate, lead probation officer, and judge.

With a new magistrate, a new judge coming Friday, and a new probation officer who started on Tuesday, the Alpena drug court is on track for more participants by January, Skiba said.

In a study of 2020 problem-solving court data, the state found graduates of adult drug court programs stood a much better chance of employment and dramatically reduced their chances of conviction of a new offense in the years after graduation.

Problem-solving courts limit participants to those at high risk of reoffending. Unless an offender has reached that point, they will not respond to the rigorous requirements of drug court, Skiba said.

Studies show that people placed into an intensive probation program or jailed extensively after a single lapse or low-level crime will degrade instead of improve because of such treatment, according to Skiba.

The Montmorency County veterans treatment court has 12 current participants and three more expected in the near future, according to Court Administrator Jennifer Lewis.

The court provides intensive probation for military veterans whose struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, substance abuse, reintegration issues, or other mental health diagnoses brought them into contact with the criminal justice system.