A Visit to the Courts

Week of 12/04/2017

This past Thursday, Kelley invited me to join her as Mercy Connections representation at the weekly drug treatment court docket. Thursday, December 9th was the Mental Health Drug Treatment Court. I had never been inside a courthouse before and appreciated the opportunity to observe this aspect of our program - to get a sense of what our mentees might be seeing or experiencing in their path to recovery/release.

While I didn't have experience in the courts, I had influences from a number media and discovered my preconceived notions were terribly wrong. I expected a cold and rigid approach to justice, strictly following the rules laid out in the law. When Jo asked me how the experience was, I responded, "Incredibly and surprisingly human." She asked, "Don't you mean humane?" She was spot on.

I was impressed at how the judge re-set himself between each case; while there was a lot of redundancy, you wouldn't know without witnessing the entire block of case reviews - he never revealed exhaustion or frustration with the repetition. The judge was soft spoken and started each case with a warm and authentic greeting. He shared his familiarity with the individuals - noting personal things he remembers from their previous visits, highlighting achievements and progress, and then mindfully and carefully addressing any infractions. One individual was late for their review, a warrant was issued, and when the person arrived, the warrant rescinded. While he clearly had a scripted/structured approach, it still felt personal and individualized - as if they were the only person he had to work with that day, and I believe he reviewed up to 20 cases in the 1.5 hour docket session.

I was truly surprised at how gently and kindly the individuals were treated. The judge emanated empathy, support, and belief in their ability to succeed in their treatment program- to get back to their lives on a better track than before.

Kelly, the Justice & Mentoring Coordinator, shared how Drug Treatment Court is a little louder or firmer than the Mental Health docket. Perhaps the gentler touch is due to the link to mental health? How does the judicial system draw a line between whether someone has a drug offense because of mental health or not? Are all drug addictions linked to mental health in some form or another?

I was grateful to have personal stereotypes broken down and to open my eyes a little more to the world of corrections; however, like with most of my experiences that further my awareness, I am left with even more questions. I would like to shadow Kelly, Mary Beth, or Jo to the Treatment Court Docket to explore the differences and broaden my understanding of the systems further.