Sawyer County Recovery Court marks first graduation

The Sawyer County Recovery Court program has its first-ever graduate, since the program started almost two years ago.

Sawyer County Judge John Yackel gave the update during a public safety meeting earlier this month. 

The court program treats individuals referred for substance use. The program has five phases and takes at least 13 months to complete.  

Rebecca Moser is the Program Coordinator. She says the graduation was emotional. 

“There were so many tears in that courtroom, to be honest with you. There were so many tears, I’m getting emotional thinking about it. It’s their journey but you’re walking alongside with them. It was so touching,” says Moser.

Sawyer County Recovery Court officially started in January of 2024 and is run jointly by the county and JusticePoint, a nonprofit that promotes evidence-based criminal justice programs.

Becky Barry is the Director for the Sawyer County Criminal Justice Program. She says Recovery Court was created to fill a gap in services, providing a program specifically designed for high-risk individuals with substance use disorders.

“There’s a much higher success rate with people who are programmed appropriately to their risk level. So that’s why it’s important we have programs that match each risk level and not just focus on low to moderate. Because we have people who are in every risk level, and we want to respond appropriately with services,” says Barry.

Barry says Sawyer County has pretrial and diversion programs for lower-risk cases, while Recovery Court focuses on higher-risk individuals who need more support. JusticePoint also offers a deflection program that assists and continues to support individuals who graduate from Recovery Court. 

The program serves residents 17 and older with substance use disorders and non-violent charges who are committed to recovery.

Referrals to Recovery Court can be given directly to the program coordinator or dropped off at the JusticePoint office in the courthouse. You can also email them to [email protected]. Referral forms are available under the Criminal Justice tab at sawyercountygov.org.