1. UWEX Partners with County
Drug Court
Joan Sprain, FLE, St. Croix Co.
Mary Geissler, FLE, Chippewa
Co.

2. Situation
 Prison incarceration costs $25,000
annually.
 10th
Judicial District of WI had the
highest rate of methamphetamine
cases; 57% of state total (2005)
overcrowding courts & jails
 Drug Court initiatives expanded rapidly

3. Components of Drug Court
 Criminal justice & drug treatment partnership
 Alcohol/drug abuse treatment, drug court
hearings, drug testing & employment in lieu of
prison
 Completion of several phases over 1-2 years
 Drug court teams review progress of each
case and recommend incentives/sanctions

4. Drug Courts in Wisconsin

5. Response
 Chippewa County

One-to-one financial counseling
 St. Croix

One-to-one financial coaching

Parent education classes

Connections to WNEP & Other UW resources

6. Success Stories-
Chippewa County

7. Chippewa County

8. Success Stories-
St. Croix County

9. Outcomes-St. Croix Co.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Tracked spending
Set goals
Found resources
Used budget
Paid bills
Paid fine/fees
Reduced debts
Saved money
N=11

10. Outcomes
 St. Croix Co. participants
 Paid drug court fees
 Accessed resources like economic support, food
stamps and birth control.
 Acquired car insurance & saved money to move
 Reported setting up on-line banking to monitoring
spending
 One reduced a $2100/month house payment to
$1520.

11. Benefits to Counties
 Direct dollar savings to county
 Helps county reach goals for drug
courts and participants
 Increases UWEX’s value to counties

12. Lessons Learned
 Each participant has unique skills and needs
 Relapse is common
 Drug court teams create
incentives/consequences for our program
participants
 Record keeping is important
 Communication with coordinator is essential
 Time intensive

13. Future
 Other potential opportunities to connect
UWEX resources with drug courts:
 WNEP
 SF 10-14 & other parent education
 Youth programs
 UWEX Criminal Justice Group

14. Questions?