Washington County committee backs DOJ TAD grant to sustain diversion and treatment court programs

Andy Freeman, the diversion treatment court program manager for Washington County, told the Human Services Committee that the county’s three diversion programs — drug treatment court, drug diversion and OWI diversion — aim to reduce recidivism, improve participant health and provide a cost-effective alternative to incarceration. "I'm Andy Freeman. I'm the diversion treatment court program manager for Washington County," Freeman said as he opened his presentation.

Freeman summarized program design and eligibility, stressing that programs exclude violent offenders and include core components such as case management, regular drug testing and evidence-based treatment. He described drug treatment court as an intensive, phase‑based program with a minimum completion time of 14 months if participants maintain full compliance and said the county has operated TAD-funded programs since 2007.

On outcomes, Freeman presented graduation and recidivism figures drawn from Wisconsin DOJ reports and county analyses. He said OWI diversion graduates had about a 16% recidivism rate for any crime and that a Washington County comparison group showed a 3% reoffense rate for another OWI within two years. Freeman cautioned that some treatment‑court recidivism figures remain preliminary because relatively few participants have reached long-term discharge follow-up: "Right now ... it's too early to tell," he said.

Freeman outlined the 2027 TAD grant plan and the proposed budget. He told the committee the expected total award is $266,000, with a state portion of about $200,000 and a county match of roughly $66,000. The intent, Freeman said, is to use most of those funds to sustain the drug diversion program and to apply approximately 10% of the award toward drug treatment court while federal Bureau of Justice Assistance funding for treatment court continues through next September.

After questions from committee members about program comparators and capacity, Supervisor Stewart moved to recommend approval of the resolution supporting the TAD grant application and a member seconded. The committee approved the recommendation by voice vote and the motion carried. The transcript records the committee approving the motion but does not include a roll‑call tally.

The committee’s endorsement allows county staff to proceed with the competitive TAD application process and to submit the budget outlined in Freeman’s presentation. Staff said they would continue pursuing additional funding to cover drug treatment court needs once federal funding ends.