The Michigan Senate passed a bipartisan bill Thursday that would give more people access to mental health and drug treatment courts.
These are programs within the justice system that provide additional support to people who have broken the law, but may also address issues related to mental health or addiction.
Sen. Stephanie Chan (D-Detroit) said the bill will help set people up for success.
“This puts them on track to actually get the services they need and get them the support they need, with the court following them through the entire process, rather than just throwing them out to the wind.” What will happen to the problems that we have?” Chan told reporters.
Under current law, those who have committed violent crimes cannot participate in therapeutic court programs. The package provides some exceptions to this.
It would give judges and prosecutors more leeway to give violent offenders access to treatment courts with victim consultation.
Sen. Joe Bellino (R-Monroe), who voted “no” to the plan, said he was concerned about how prosecutorial discretion in offering plea deals would affect who participates in the program. He said there was.
“If you silence their pleas and then use drug court, I have a problem with that, because I’m a big supporter of treatment courts. They work,” Bellino said. Told.
Bellino said he was concerned that the system could be misused because serious crimes could be covered up.
“Let’s be honest here. Some people believe this will work for anyone, but I’ve never been in 12-step meetings with felons who grew up in abusive homes and are living great lives. As someone who’s always been involved, I know that sometimes this just doesn’t happen.”
But Chan emphasized that getting more people into therapeutic court programs could be a good thing, especially when compared to punishment alone.
“We are giving a carefully selected group of individuals the opportunity to re-enter the community in a way that is actually more productive for them and better for all of us,” Chan said. .
The package passed the Senate with largely bipartisan support.
Two of the bills now go back to the House of Commons to agree to changes made by the Senate. His third bill in the package was passed for the governor.
