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When facing a drug charge in Wisconsin, the cost of treatment is the second worry right behind the legal one.
Columbia County has been answering that worry with public money. This month county leaders moved to keep doing it.
Opioid settlement dollars are paying to run the county’s Drug Treatment Court. It’s one route to low cost addiction treatment in Wisconsin for people who might otherwise be in a jail cell.
A resolution to direct settlement funds to the program was on the county board’s agenda on Wednesday.
County Board Chair Douglas Richmond said this marks the third year Columbia County has used opioid settlement money for the treatment court. Settlement dollars have also paid for treatment and counseling for people in the county jail.
Who Qualifies for the Program
Drug Treatment Court is built for people whose criminal charges trace back to substance use. The program addresses both the offense and the underlying problem. It holds participants accountable while treating the substance use itself.
Columbia County Circuit Court Judge Todd Hepler wrote the grant that launched the program in 2016. The first participants entered the following year.
It currently has about 18 people enrolled. Hepler said that is on the high side. Staffing gets tight for the coordinators once enrollment climbs past roughly 15,
What Participation Involves
The program runs in five phases. Participants attend regular meetings and submit to close court supervision. They also receive outpatient and inpatient treatment. Each of the five phases requires 20 hours of community service.
Jacob Schonenberger went through it. A medical injury led to a prescription for strong opioids. Over time it became an addiction that reached nearly every part of his life.
He said he struggled at first to trust the people trying to help him. He did not always get along with Hepler. That shifted during one of his community service days. Schonenberger found himself working alongside the judge.
Schonenberger has now been clean for three years. He works full time in the trades and lives on his own.
How Public Money Keeps It Running
Hepler said the county could not afford to fund the program entirely on its own. The funding model also draws on state and national money, with settlement dollars filling part of the gap.
Richmond said county leaders weigh the cost of the program against the cost of incarcerating someone. He stated that keeping people out of jail saves money and pays for itself over the long run.
Hepler also pointed out that the benefit does not stop with the person in his courtroom. Participants have parents, children and siblings who are affected by the outcome.
Free and Low-Cost Options Beyond Treatment Court
Treatment court is only available to people already in the court system. If that is not your situation, publicly funded options still exist in Wisconsin.
Rehabs.org lists free, low-cost, and Medicaid-accepting treatment options nationwide, filtered by how you plan to pay. Call
800-914-7089
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to learn more about how you can begin your recovery.
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