The Hon. Charles LaSata will lead a public forum on “Specialty Courts in Berrien County—Healing Victims and Offenders” at 6:30 p.m.  Thursday, Oct. 5, at Berrien RESA in Berrien Springs.

The forum is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Berrien and Cass Counties. This event is free and open to the public.

Berrien County has four specialty courts —Drug Treatment Court, Drug Court, Domestic Violence Court, and “Swift and Sure.” For the past three years, Judge LaSata has presided over all four.

Swift and Sure, modeled on Hawaii’s Opportunity Probation with Enforcement program, has generated considerable interest. It targets felony offenders with a history of probation violations who are at high risk of winding up back behind bars because they fail to follow the rules of their probation.  The program is designed to help probationers develop personal responsibility and accountability through additional monitoring and support.

A central tenet of Swift and Sure is an immediate sanction for any violation: jail time for drug use, for example.  The sanction is to be fair, swift, certain, consistent and proportionate.  The broader goal is a behavioral change for the better.

In 2012, Berrien was one of three Michigan counties to participate in a Swift and Sure pilot program.  Because of the pilot program’s success, Swift and Sure now functions in 23 courts covering 26 Michigan counties, including Berrien, Cass and Van Buren.  In 2016, eight people in Berrien County were graduated from Swift and Sure and released from probation.

State Sen. John Proos, who was instrumental in establishing the program, was present and spoke at the graduation.

The League of Women Voters of Berrien and Cass Counties works to encourage informed and active participation in government, to promote political responsibility, to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and to influence public policy through education and advocacy. LWVBCC does not and shall not support or oppose any political party or any candidate.