York County Commissioners renew agreement for problem solving court

YORK COUNTY – The York County Commissioners have renewed the county’s interlocal agreement to continue problem solving court.

​The problem solving court is an effort in York and Seward Counties, involving District 5 Probation, the county attorney offices in both counties, District Judge James Stecker, sheriff’s departments in both counties and others.
Carrie Rodriguez, chief of District 5 Probation, and Morgan Campbell, who is the director of the York and Seward County problem solving courts, met with the York County Commissioners this week.
Rodriguez explained how this agreement comes up for renewal every few years and now it was time for that to happen again. She said the Seward County Commissioners had already signed the agreement.
Campbell explained how problem solving court is for “high risk individuals, it is designed to have a multi-disciplinary approach. They come in weekly and we help them with treatment and other facets of their process toward recovery and making behavioral changes.”
These individuals are defendants in criminal cases. Campbell said in most situations, if it had not been for problem solving court participation, they would have ended up in jail or prison instead of recovering and changing their behaviors.
York County launched its problem solving court in 2016 and there have been 43 graduates of the problem so far with 37 not re-offending. She said there are currently 18 participants with more referrals.
“The fact they plead guilty when they enter this program,” York County Commissioner Randy Obermier reminded the county board members, meaning if participants do not graduate from the program, they will be sentenced for their convictions. “Just by seeing the numbers, you can see this program is working and I’m fully behind it.”
“I think anything that kept 37 people out instead of in is a good thing,” said Commissioner LeRoy Ott.
All the commissioners voted in favor of renewing the interlocal agreement to continue the problem solving court in York County.