The Adult Drug Treatment Court Program diverts nonviolent felons, with substance abuse problems, from incarceration in jail and/or prison. Participants also include Department of Corrections probationers who are sentenced to the program as a condition of probation or as a probation violation, and parole violators. Participants are given an opportunity to become involved in substance abuse treatment and to comply with other requirements such as attending bi-weekly court sessions, submitting random urinalysis samples, and reporting to program staff. They must also follow up on referrals made to other community agencies, which may include the Department of Human Services (DHS), Housing Resources, Maternal Support Services, the YWCA Sexual and Domestic Assault Programs, the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research and others. In order for a defendant to participate in the Drug Treatment Court Program, the defendant must enter a guilty plea to the charge(s). The defendant is represented by counsel during the plea process and may file a motion to set aside and dismiss the plea upon successful completion of the program. Defendants may also be sentenced to the program for a new offense, or upon a probation or parole violation.

The Restitution Program holds the juvenile offender responsible for his/her actions through procedures in which the offender is made aware of the personal consequences of the crime for the victim. It adheres to an accountability model facilitated through a service agreement and supervises both monetary restitution and community service. Offenses referred generally involve property loss or damage.

The S.T.O.P. Program (Stop Taking Other's Property) is a non-formal court program in which volunteers make one personal contact with the juvenile and the parent(s) of the juvenile, who have been referred to the court as a first offense shoplifter. If the juvenile is arrested in Portage, they and their parents are referred to Project Lift, a diversionary program conducted by the Portage Community Outreach Center and the Portage Police Department. The S.T.O.P. Program provided a service alternative to 86 first offense shoplifters in 2003 whose offense involved the taking of property with a value under $100.00.

Minor in Possession of Alcohol/Marijuana Diversion Program. The Intake Department, in conjunction with Parkview Psychological Associates, operates a diversion program for juveniles referred to the court for first offense Minor in Possession of Alcohol or Marijuana. The juvenile and their parent(s) are referred to Parkview to participate in and complete an educationally based program on alcohol and drugs called JADA, Juvenile Alcohol and Drug Awareness. Successful completion of the program, conducted on Saturday mornings, results in the court dismissing the petition. Failure to complete the program results in further sanctions, including abstracting the matter to the Secretary of State Office, impacting the juvenile's driver's license, and a fee of $75.00 assessed to the parent(s).

Other alternative programs may be found at:

Kalamazoo County Mental Health Services

Kalamazoo Probation Enhancement Program (KPEP)

Michigan Department of Corrections

Office of Community Corrections

Office of Prosecuting Attorney