Ceremony celebrates treatment courts

In recognition of National Treatment Court Month, an event was held Tuesday, May 7, at the Newport Performing Arts Center to celebrate those whose lives have been changed by the specialty courts in Lincoln County.

Sheryl Bachart, the presiding judge for the Lincoln County Circuit Court, explained that the county has four specialty treatment courts — Drug Court, HOPE Court, Mental Health and Wellness Court and Family Support Court.

Drug Court is a problem-solving court that uses an evidence-based approach to break the cycle of addiction, thereby reducing crime and saving lives and families.

HOPE Court (which stands for Help and Opportunity through Probation with Enforcement) operates in a similar manner to Drug Court, except the focus is on property offenders whose crimes are driven by addiction, with a core goal of paying victim restitution.

Mental Health and Wellness Court is designed to support individuals whose mental illness is the primary cause or motivating factor for their involvement with the criminal justice system.

Family Support Court is for individuals diagnosed with a substance use disorder who have a child or children in the custody of the Department of Human Services.

“In total, we have 55 participants,” Bachart said, “and 78 percent of our participants in specialty courts are in downward departures. That means that they would have received a prison sentence, but they have an opportunity in specialty courts where if they’re successful, they would not end up serving that prison sentence.”

Bachart oversees Drug Court and HOPE Court. Judge Marcia Buckley oversees the Mental Health and Wellness Court, and Judge Amanda Benjamin oversees the Family Support Court.

“I have 288 stars hung on the wall of my courtroom, which represent graduates of all of our specialty courts,” Bachart said.

Bachart described her goal when she first became involved with the specialty courts. “I wanted people to show up. I wanted them to be physically present in court, but I also wanted them to be engaged, to be invested in their own recovery.”

In terms of how they get people to show up, she said, “I’ll give you a hint, it’s not because the court ordered them to. That only gets you so far. I tell my participants, ‘I don’t expect perfection. You will stumble, but when you do, you have to show up. Whether you’re celebrating your successes or we’re talking about your failures, you have to be here.’”

Showing up also takes courage, Bachart said, adding that courage is showing up and not knowing what the outcome will be. “I am humbled absolutely every week by the courage of my participants.”