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50th District Court tells Waterford trustees caseload rose since 2020; highlights treatment courts and community service
Summary
Jen Tom, administrator for the 50th District Court, told trustees the court's caseload climbed after 2020; she highlighted problem‑solving courts, community service hours and funding sources that support court operations.
Jen Tom, the administrator of the 50th District Court, presented the court’s 2024 highlights to the Waterford Township Board on April 28, outlining caseload growth, funding sources and treatment‑oriented programs.
Tom said the court, which has jurisdiction that includes the Charter Township of Waterford, handled “just under 13,000” cases in 2024 and that caseloads have risen steadily since COVID‑19 in 2020. She described four court departments—criminal, probation (including treatment courts), traffic and civil—and noted the court’s performance measures meet most statewide guidelines monitored by the State Court Administrative Office.
Tom emphasized the court’s problem‑solving programs, including sobriety and veterans treatment courts. She said recidivism rates reported by the State Court Administrative Office are low for graduates: “Less than 6 percent of our sobriety court graduates and 4 percent of our veterans treatment court graduates have been rearrested for subsequent drug or alcohol crimes,” she said. Tom also noted the court’s community service program contributed roughly 9,000 hours in 2024, describing that as an “in‑kind” contribution back to the community.
On finance, Tom said the court collected just over $1.7 million in 2024 and that monies collected are distributed to statutory recipients; she described the State of Michigan as paying judges’ salaries and noted other grants and state funding—the Michigan Indigent Defense Council and other program grants—help underwrite court operations. Tom gave an approximate average cost per case in 2024 of about $165.
Tom closed by inviting trustees to visit the court, attend a Veterans Treatment Court graduation scheduled in May and by thanking the board for its support and funding where applicable.
