Since 1995, the Orange County Superior Court has created effective alternatives to incarceration through the implementation of Collaborative Courts. This cost-effective endeavor, which began as a single Drug Court, now includes the following: Veterans Treatment Court, Truancy Court, Adult and Juvenile Drug Court, DUI Court, mental health courts, Homeless Outreach Court, and supportive services for youth in the dependency (foster care) system.
Recently, the 2016 Annual Report of the Collaborative Courts was released and posted. The outstanding positive results from the Collaborative Courts illuminate the possibilities of citizens turning their lives around: drunk drivers embracing sobriety, isolated veterans being reintegrated with the society they served to protect, mental health patients receiving appropriate treatment to lead independent lives – the list goes on.
The cost savings of the Collaborative Courts is a whopping $11 million due in part to the avoidance of 73,000 jail bed days, which would not have provided any significant rehabilitative treatments.
In April the court was awarded a $2.2 million grant to continue to implement new and enhanced services.