Town hall sheds light on local treatment courts

Pulaski County's treatment courts are creating a ripple effect in the community. Not only do these programs help individuals overcome addiction and mental health challenges, they also positively impact their families, friends and everyone they come in contact with. To shed more light on what these programs are and what they do, the Pulaski County Drug Free Council hosted a town hall meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at One Eyed Jack's Celebration Station, bringing together staff and treatment court graduates to discuss Veterans Treatment Court, Family Treatment Court and Drug Treatment Court with the community. Treatment courts are problem-solving court programs that aim to provide help and treatment to individuals who are involved in the criminal justice system. The program further encourages them to become active citizens in the community. The goal of all of these courts is to reduce recidivism (reoffending), which has proven to be effective over the years. However, each treatment court takes a different approach and has varying missions for each participant based off of their particular situation.