$400,000 In Grants Announced For Berrien Specialty Courts

berriencountycourthouse-38
berriencountycourthouse-38

The Berrien County Trial Court is receiving some major grants to help continue its specialty courts programs. The court announced this week it’s gotten notice of three grant awards from the State Court Administrator’s Office, totaling $446,000. They’ll be used to support the Drug Treatment Court, Mental Health Court, and Swift and Sure Sanctions Probation Program. The Mental Health Court was established in 2009, and there are currently 24 active enrollees. There have also been 143 graduates. The Mental Health Court targets those individuals on probation for both misdemeanor and felony level offenses with serious mental illness. Defendants for both Mental Health Court and Drug Treatment Court are referred from multiple places, including the prosecutor’s office. The Swift and Sure Sanctions Probation Program was established in 2012 and is an intensive probation program for felony offenders. It’s designed to keep enrollees on track. It has 75 active cases and 203 successful completions to date.