Last year was a big year for Michigan’s Swift and Sure
Sanctions Probation Program. Let’s look
back at some highlights.
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| Swift and Sure team members at the 2016 Annual Conference |
Eligibility Expanded
— Number of Probationers Increased
The year began with a change that resulted in additional
probationers being eligible for Swift and Sure.
Previously, probationers were eligible if they scored high risk on the
Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS)
risk assessment and had at least one prior probation violation on the current
case, at least two prior probation violations, or at least one prior probation
failure.
As of February 2016, eligibility expanded to include all
probationers who scored medium risk on COMPAS, had the same history of
probation violations or failures, and had straddle- or presumptive-cell
sentencing guidelines.[1] Swift and Sure judges reported that this was
a positive change because it allows greater access to the program for
probationers who benefit from added monitoring, accountability, and
support. And the expanded eligibility criteria
resulted in additional Swift and Sure probationers statewide: from 909 open
cases in 2015 to 1,124 last year.
Number of Programs
Increased
Not only did the number of probationers increase last year,
but so did the number of Swift and Sure courts.
Michigan’s Swift and Sure program grew from 19 to 23 circuit courts, and
it now covers 26 counties.[2] The four new Swift and Sure courts were
started by Judge Suzanne Kreeger and Judge Ron Schafer in Ionia and Montcalm
counties, Judge Matthew Stewart in Shiawassee County, Judge Sarah Lincoln and Judge
John Hallacy in Calhoun County, and Judge Scott Hill-Kennedy in Mecosta and
Osceola Counties.
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| The Honorable Matthew Stewart 35th Circuit Court (Shiawassee County) |
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| The Honorable Sarah Lincoln 37th Circuit Court (Calhoun County) |
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| The Honorable John Hallacy 37th Circuit Court (Calhoun County) |
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| The Honorable Scott Hill-Kennedy 49th Circuit Court (Mecosta/Osceola) |
Training and
Conference
In June, Judge Steven Alm and Probation Section
Administrator Cheryl Inouye made their third trip to Michigan in the last three
years. Judge Alm and Ms. Inouye started Hawaii’s
Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE) probation strategy more than 12
years ago in Honolulu, and Swift and Sure is modeled after HOPE.
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| The Honorable Steven Alm (retired) and Probation Section Administrator Cheryl Inouye, 1st Circuit Court in Honolulu, Hawaii, and creators of the HOPE probation strategy |
In previous years, they came and went in one day. This time, they were in Michigan for a full
week, traveled throughout the state, and met with eight Swift and Sure teams to
discuss HOPE and how to operate Swift and Sure as effectively as possible.[1] They observed orientation hearings, probation
violation hearings, and graduations.
They met with graduates and heard their success stories. They spoke with Swift and Sure judges,
Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) probation agents and supervisors,
court coordinators, and other team members.
They offered meaningful advice on ways to improve an already-strong
program.
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| From left to right: Judge Steven Alm, Judge Matthew Stewart, and Cheryl Inouye |
Judge Alm and Ms. Inouye led a day-long Swift and Sure
Training for more than 30 new team members, and they also led the 2016 Swift
and Sure Annual Conference attended by almost 70 Swift and Sure team members. At the annual conference, we watched Judge
Alm in action on the bench. He
demonstrated how to conduct both orientation[1]
and probation violation hearings.[2]
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| From left to right: Judge Scott Hill-Kennedy, Cheryl Inouye, Judge Steven Alm, Judge Suzanne Kreeger, and Judge Ronald Schafer |
When they arrived back home in Honolulu, Judge Alm sent me
an e-mail: “Great trip all the way
around. We met some special folks, and it is so gratifying to see the
HOPE strategy being adopted in so many places [in Michigan] with so many
committed professionals.” Ms. Inouye
sent one too, “What we saw in Michigan this year was very impressive.”
Eight Graduations
in One Day
Three months later, on a beautiful fall day in Berrien
County, eight probationers stood before Judge Charles LaSata, graduated from
Swift and Sure, and were released from probation. Judge LaSata acknowledged their hard work and
congratulated them on changing their lives for the better.
Michigan Senator John Proos attended the hearing and
addressed the eight graduates in open court.
Senator Proos was instrumental in starting Swift and Sure in 2011 and
has been supportive of the program ever since.
He congratulated the graduates on their success, thanked them for their
hard work in turning their lives around, and wished them well in their
future. After the hearing, local news
channels interviewed Senator Proos about Swift and Sure.[3]
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| Picture includes Michigan Senator John Proos, Judge Charles LaSata and his Swift and Sure team, Thomas Myers, and eight graduates from Swift and Sure at the 2nd Circuit Court (Berrien County) |
Swift and Sure
Event at the 29th Circuit Court
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| From left to right: MDOC Probation Agent Heidi McMurphy, Terry (Swift and Sure graduate at the 29th Circuit Court-Clinton and Gratiot Counties) Judge Michelle Rick, and Coordinator/Case Manager Samantha Rice |
The year ended on a high note. Judge Michele Rick of Michigan’s 29th Circuit
Court (Clinton and Gratiot Counties) hosted a special Swift and Sure event that
featured a 41-year-old man named Terry who graduated from Swift and Sure that
day. Terry’s road to graduation started
out rocky. After multiple violations early
on in Swift and Sure, Terry overcame. Terry
explained one part about Swift and Sure that helped him turn his life around:
Your counselor and [probation officer]
and case manager are all there to help you. It’s hard to sometimes, [but] they
are there for you, and they’re always willing to listen and take your phone
call or text or whatever.[1]
Justice Joan Larsen acknowledged Terry’s accomplishments in
a letter to Judge Rick, which she read in open court:
I am proud of his accomplishments in
graduating the program and turning his life around. I also congratulate you and your team at the
29th Circuit Court because celebrations like today’s are truly a reflection of
an amazing team effort—a
team that has clearly supported Terry and helped him succeed. Thanks to your hard work and dedication,
graduates like him, and our community as a whole, have a brighter future.
After the graduation, Judge Rick and her team — which includes MDOC
probation agents Heidi McMurphy and Charlotte Prochazka, and Coordinator Samantha
Rice — met with team
members from two new Swift and Sure programs to discuss how to operate an
effective Swift and Sure court. Judge
Kreeger, Judge Hill-Kennedy, and his team learned from Judge Rick and her team
about ways to effectively implement Swift and Sure.
Finally, Judge Rick, Judge Kreeger, and Judge Hill-Kennedy
were interviewed about their experience with and impression of Michigan’s Swift
and Sure probation strategy.[1]
Program Outcomes
in 2016
Swift and Sure is proven effective, and 2016 further
demonstrated the positive impact that Swift and Sure is having in probationers’
lives throughout our great state. Last
year, almost 200 of the highest-risk probationers successfully completed Swift
and Sure. This is about a 39 percent
successful completion rate statewide.
Additionally, of the more than 100,000 drug and alcohol
tests administered, about 6 percent were positive.
Finally, compared to a comparison group of probationers on
regular probation, Swift and Sure probationers are 36 percent less likely to
reoffend.[2] Swift and Sure is changing probationers’
lives for the better, it is far less expensive than the more than $30,000
annual cost per prison inmate, and it is making Michigan communities safer.
Conclusion
Swift and Sure is already off to a good start in 2017. Two webinars were recently posted: one about
the Swift and Sure probation strategy,[3]
and the other about 10 differences between Swift and Sure and Michigan’s problem-solving
courts.[4] In addition, several circuit courts have
expressed interest in starting Swift and Sure this year. If you’re interested in learning more about Michigan’s
Swift and Sure Sanctions Probation Program, or starting it in your community,
please contact me at TrialCourtServices@courts.mi.gov.
Want to learn more about Swift and Sure? Contact me at TrialCourtServices@courts.mi.gov or 517-373-2228.
Thomas Myers is a management analyst at the State
Court Administrative Office. He oversees the Swift and Sure Sanctions Probation
Program and administers the Office of Highway Safety Planning grant program. He
assists with the Ignition Interlock program and transfers of supervision to a
problem-solving court.