- April 20, 2016 Ignition Interlock news Conference
- April 16, 2015 - Report: Problem- Solving Courts Reduce Crime, Cut Costs to Taxpayers
- February 14, 2015 - MADCP changed their name to MATCP - a message from President Dobrich
MADCP Changed its name to MATCP
The Michigan Association of Drug Court Professionals changed its name by Board action on January 29, 2015 to Michigan Association of Treatment Court Professionals. We will now be known as MATCP. The purpose of the name change was to encompass all problem-solving treatment courts that did not identify with the term “drug court”. A treatment court is a court where:
1. The target population has a diagnosable emotional or behavior disorder;
2. The disorder is a substantial causative factor in the target population’s involvement in the justice system;
3. The target population requires professional treatment, and
4. The target population would best progress in treatment regularly monitored by a Judge.
The following Courts fit the criteria above: DWI, Adult Criminal, Family Dependency Drug Courts, Delinquency Drug Courts, Mental Health Court, Veteran’s Court, and Healing to Wellness Courts. As a result, MATCP’s focus will be to provide leadership to problem-solving treatment courts. There are many different types of speciality courts that are not treatment courts because they do not meet the four criteria listed above.
The Center for Court Innovation published six principals that helped to identify a problem-solving court. The first principle is enhanced information, including staff training, data gathering to make decisions on treatment, risks to the public, and appropriate supervision, a thorough biopsychosocial assessment, and confidentiality protocols and agreements that protect the information. The second principle is community engagement, involving an advisory board that is staffed by community members and representatives of other criminal justice partners. The third principle is collaboration with the community and criminal justice systems partners. Fourth, individual justice, means using evidence-based risk and needs assessments to link offenders to individually tailored community-based services. The fifth principle, accountability, refers to insisting on regular and rigorous compliance monitoring and clear consequences for non-compliance. Lastly, outcomes, involve the collection and analysis of data measuring outcomes, processes, costs, and benefits of the program. A program that adheres to these principles is a problem-solving court. Therefore, by changing our name to MATCP, we will be serving the problem-solving courts that have traditionally fallen under the category of treatment courts. Although we do not discourage the development of speciality courts, the Board has decided in order to be served by MATCP, the court must meet the standards as set forth by the Center for Court Innovation, and meet the four criteria listed above.
1. The target population has a diagnosable emotional or behavior disorder;
2. The disorder is a substantial causative factor in the target population’s involvement in the justice system;
3. The target population requires professional treatment, and
4. The target population would best progress in treatment regularly monitored by a Judge.
The following Courts fit the criteria above: DWI, Adult Criminal, Family Dependency Drug Courts, Delinquency Drug Courts, Mental Health Court, Veteran’s Court, and Healing to Wellness Courts. As a result, MATCP’s focus will be to provide leadership to problem-solving treatment courts. There are many different types of speciality courts that are not treatment courts because they do not meet the four criteria listed above.
The Center for Court Innovation published six principals that helped to identify a problem-solving court. The first principle is enhanced information, including staff training, data gathering to make decisions on treatment, risks to the public, and appropriate supervision, a thorough biopsychosocial assessment, and confidentiality protocols and agreements that protect the information. The second principle is community engagement, involving an advisory board that is staffed by community members and representatives of other criminal justice partners. The third principle is collaboration with the community and criminal justice systems partners. Fourth, individual justice, means using evidence-based risk and needs assessments to link offenders to individually tailored community-based services. The fifth principle, accountability, refers to insisting on regular and rigorous compliance monitoring and clear consequences for non-compliance. Lastly, outcomes, involve the collection and analysis of data measuring outcomes, processes, costs, and benefits of the program. A program that adheres to these principles is a problem-solving court. Therefore, by changing our name to MATCP, we will be serving the problem-solving courts that have traditionally fallen under the category of treatment courts. Although we do not discourage the development of speciality courts, the Board has decided in order to be served by MATCP, the court must meet the standards as set forth by the Center for Court Innovation, and meet the four criteria listed above.
