Courts Show Commitment to Treatment
By Csaba Sukosd | December 6, 2023

Eugenia Adams is active in helping others through the struggles of substance use that took her 20 years to overcome. She was recently in Columbus with nearly 600 people, all of whom share the goal of sobriety with the help of treatment courts.

Court representatives, public defenders, prosecutors, and treatment providers came together at Ohio State University for the Supreme Court of Ohio Specialized Dockets Conference.

"We're all here because we're able to help save lives. That's a powerful responsibility. So, we should always be learning and looking for different ways to improve our programs," said Adams, a member of the family treatment program for Clark County Juvenile Court.

A specialized docket is a treatment program certified by the Supreme Court. Each of the state's 261 certified dockets uses program structure and community support to assist people involved in the justice system who have been diagnosed with a substance use or mental health disorder. Specialized dockets focus on treating a person's illness and other personal factors that may contribute to it. The Supreme Court hosts an annual conference for treatment court representatives so they can learn from national experts who share the latest science and research about managing programs and helping people sustain sobriety.

"I know what it's like to lose my kids and the hard 18 months it took to get them back. If they need somebody to talk to or if they need a ride so they won't miss an appointment or a recovery meeting, I'm always there for them," said Adams.

A year ago, she was hired by Clark County Juvenile Court as peer support for parents who have lost custody of their children because of substance use. Peer support was one of the topics discussed at the conference, and how valuable mentors with a shared experience can be to specialized docket participants.

"Every treatment court should have peer support because many people in these programs need to learn how to ask for help," said Adams. "We help them get past feelings of shame and ego to realize that it's a lot easier when other people can help."

Treatment courts like the one in Clark County offer different kinds of resources. Some are specific to recovery like counseling while others help with everyday essentials - food and housing. The court keeps data on these resources to help identify any trends that could lead to better outcomes.

"The purpose of the data is to see what's working. And if someone is exiting a program unsuccessfully, we're trying to find out why," said Clark County Juvenile Judge Katrine Lancaster. "Utilizing that data is critical when we're hoping to help children and families that are stuck in generational trauma and poverty."

Adams is one of the many trying to break that cycle. She's also one of the hundreds of court professionals in the state committed to the same goal of sobriety for thousands of Ohioans.

"We're building something on the idea of continuing to do the next right thing," said Adams.