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Hamilton judge reports municipal 'Opt for Help and Hope' recovery court has graduated participants
Summary
Hamilton Township's municipal recovery court, called Opt for Help and Hope, was presented to council with program statistics, federal/state funding context and a pending monitoring arrangement with Johns Hopkins University.
Judge (name not specified), the presiding municipal judge in Hamilton Township, told council the township’s new municipal recovery court, Opt for Help and Hope, has enrolled people and produced multiple program graduates.
The judge said the recovery court is a state-run pilot funded with opioid settlement money the New Jersey attorney general directed toward municipal drug courts. “Two years ago, the attorney general in New Jersey chose to use $2,000,000 worth of the opioid settlement money … to do a drug court in municipal court,” the judge said. He told council Hamilton was one of six municipal courts selected for the pilot and said the court has been monitored by Johns Hopkins University.
Why it matters: The program combines treatment and criminal-case handling; participants who complete treatment can have criminal charges dismissed. The judge described the program’s central public-safety and public-health goal and said he relies on counselors’ recommendations to clear charges after successful completion.
Details: The judge reported the program’s enrollment and completion figures during his remarks. He said the court has had “now a 161, I think, we have in the program,” and later referred to graduates with mixed counts, stating “we've now graduated 46 people. 65. 65. 65,” and later spoke of “those 65 people” receiving counseling and treatment. The judge also said the court has been able to dismiss criminal charges for participants who complete the program, giving the example of drug-related shoplifting cases that may be resolved through treatment and dismissal.
Funding and oversight: The judge said the attorney general selected six municipal courts to receive the settlement funding and described Hamilton as among the most successful in moving people through the program based on recent monitoring with Johns Hopkins. He said the state may seek to expand state monitoring in the future.
Quotations and staffing: “I’m so honored to be the judge here in Hamilton Township,” the judge said. He repeatedly praised court staff and said the program’s work depends on them: “the staff is the one doing the hard work there.” Jessica (court staff; full role not specified) was present and confirmed receipt of correspondence referenced by the judge.
Context and limits: The judge said the program operates within the scope the attorney general set for the pilot; he also said he is not involved in delivering treatment, only in accepting counseling recommendations and handling the legal disposition. He noted monitoring is ongoing and that outcomes cited are drawn from the court’s internal counts and the state/university monitoring process.
Next steps: The judge invited council to visit the courthouse to observe operations and said he expects continued monitoring cooperation with Johns Hopkins and possible further state involvement.
