Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Peer Recovery topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Foster parent and recovery advocate tells commission his path from addiction to peer recovery work
Summary
A member of the Parent Partnership Board, a father and peer‑recovery specialist, described his experience with substance use disorder, recovery through drug court, and current work in reentry and diversion. Commissioners thanked him and described the value of lived experience in program design.
Mitch Sutter, a member of the Parent Partnership Board and a peer recovery specialist, told the commission about his personal experience with substance use disorder, recovery and subsequent work serving families and people exiting incarceration.
Sutter described eight years of active addiction following the death of his newborn son in 2011, how he entered treatment through drug court in District 16 and later worked as a peer recovery support specialist and a drug‑court coordinator. He described his work at a rural health center and participation in SAMHSA‑funded reentry and diversion projects that seek treatment alternatives for individuals who otherwise might be incarcerated.
Sutter said recovery helped reunify his family and that he now helps people access treatment and recovery supports. He urged greater collaboration among judicial actors, treatment providers and law enforcement so individuals can access the interventions that work for them rather than a fragmented system that offers only a single approach.
Commission members thanked Sutter for sharing his story and for the Parent Partnership Board’s work. Commissioners noted the value of lived experience in informing program design and juvenile justice diversion efforts.
