The Hon. Judge James Stecker sees people come before his bench for a variety of cases, but in some cases, a prison sentence is not the best route.
For more than a decade, the Seward and York County District Court judge has offered those who have a history of substance abuse an option to be held accountable in a different way. Stecker said when people are a high risk for reoffending and have been in a cycle of substance abuse and incarceration, the substance abuse has to be addressed first.
When someone is willing to commit to the Seward County Problem Solving Court program, they get help redirecting their lives instead of returning to jail or prison.
He said it was challenging to see people cycle through the court system without that kind of help.
Stecker said it is likely that other problem areas in their lives – their criminal case, housing, jobs and relationships – are tied to substance abuse.
Since 2013, Stecker has served Seward and York counties, with three other judges assigned to the rest of the Fifth district, which also includes Boone, Butler, Colfax, Hamilton, Merrick, Nancy, Platte, Polk and Saunders Counties.
“I had heard of this system and seen the results,” Stecker said.
“It is the favorite part of my job because I get to see people changing their lives.”
Stecker is a former prosecutor and for more than 30 years had a criminal defense practice in Columbus before being named to the bench.
All Rise, an organization created in 1994 as the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, advocates for training, membership and advocacy for judicial work that addresses substance abuse and mental health’s role in criminal behaviors. It has led training and technical assistance for more than 4,000 treatment court programs like the one in Nebraska’s Fifth Judicial District.
The Seward and York County program has been cited for being one of best programs in the state for following All Rise best practices.
Program reduces crime
“It is a comprehensive approach to dealing with the problems,” Stecker said.
The Seward County Board of Commissioners recently allocated funds the county had received from national court settlements on opioid addiction and abuse to send some staff to an All Rise conference this summer.
Stecker said a multi-site study found a 58% reduction in crimes and savings of more than $6,000 for each individual involved with programs like Problem Solving Court, as well as significant improvements in participants’ education, employment, housing financial stability and family reunification.
Research shows the judges’ involvement makes a difference over probation alone, Stecker said.
Since 2015, Seward and York counties have shared a Problem Solving Court coordinator and two court officers involved in the program that takes 18 to 24 months to complete.
Problem Solving Court involves judges, county attorneys, defenders, treatment programs, law enforcement, and individually-assigned mentors, as well as others with skills and knowledge that can help participants.
Over the course of a year, participants work through the five-phase program that begins with weekly court visits to show they are following their treatment procedures and probation requirements.
When the participants come to court together, the judge speaks to them individually in the courtroom to see if they are following their plans. Drug tests are required.
“The longer you are in the program, the less often you have to come see me,” Stecker said.
May was National Treatment Court Month and in Seward and York counties, 27 people were participating in Problem Solving Court with three applications pending.
The first graduate in the Seward and York County program is now a federal corrections officer, Stecker said. Others have become licensed to practice in trades like plumbing and electrical.
“The stories are amazing,” the judge said. Mothers may get their children back.
“It is the most intense opportunity the court has for individuals who face the court process that have a drug addiction problem,” he said.
Stecker said the people applying to Problem Solving Court have usually been in prison before.
“They can do jail,” he said. They know how it works and what to expect there.
“What we try to do is change their thought process,” he said.
Court addresses trauma impact
The court recognizes that much substance abuse is self-medicating following personal traumas, so the court program helps participants work through whatever trauma is pushing them to use drugs.
“Problem Solving Court emphasizes recovery, not just sobriety,” Stecker said.
“I try not to tell them what to do. I try to get them to see the reasons why things could change and how things can change.”
In addition to breaking with their previous social networks, some are required to live in half- or three-quarters homes in Lincoln or Omaha.
They need to have “somebody that they can go to that can hold them accountable and then reach out for help,” Stecker said.
Many of the participants have had little success in their lives prior to Problem Solving Court, and Stecker said he and the other court and service providers on the court’s team try to provide positive reinforcement for the participants’ progress.
“My involvement in Problem Solving Court is dramatically different” from regular judicial roles, Stecker said.
“I am not there to send them to jail or prison.
“To have that different relationship is something that they have never experienced in their lives.”
The Nebraska Legislature last year cut budgets that affect the Problem Solving Courts across the state, and Stecker noted the program in Platte County is being eliminated.
