10.13.17 Treatment Court 

The Kenosha County Treatment Court is an intervention program for adults who have pled guilty to one or more crimes related to their severe and persistent mental illness and/or drug or alcohol addiction and are having difficulty stabilizing in their recovery.  Treatment intervention is structured around the authority and personal involvement of the Treatment Court Judge and the Team of Treatment Court Professionals. By working together, they seek to provide a variety of programs and supervision that support and help maintain a stable life free from illegal drugs and alcohol.

 Kenosha’s Drug and Alcohol Treatment Court began operations and the first Drug Court participant was accepted on August 19, 2009. In January of 2017 the Kenosha County Drug and Alcohol Treatment court absorbed the Behavioral Health Treatment Court and was renamed simply The Kenosha County Treatment Court, a seamless transition. 

Questions:  Call Frances Kavenik, 262-654-7570   or MerriLee Unrath, 262-694-7424

Program eligibility and participation requirements:  

Eligible participants are identified through screenings and must be diagnosed with a moderate to severe substance abuse disorder and/or significant behavioral health diagnosis. To be accepted, individuals must be willing to abide by the Treatment Court program rules. Once they are accepted into the program, they are placed on probation with the specifically trained probation agent and develop a treatment plan that is created by the whole team: their agent, the Judge, Court Coordinator, Treatment professionals, and case workers, with regular status hearings in front of the Judge.

PRESENTERS:

Jodi L. Meier is a judge for the Kenosha County Circuit Court, presiding over Branch 7. She was appointed to the bench in July 2016 and elected in 2017 to a 5-year term.  Judge Meier received her undergraduate degree from Marquette University in 1988 and her J.D. from Marquette University Law School in 1991. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Meier was an attorney in private practice since 1991, predominantly practicing in the criminal and family courts. She was a Guardian ad Litem for Kenosha County since 2005 representing children and vulnerable adults in the court system. In 2015, Judge Meier was appointed a Court Commissioner by Judge Chad Kerkman. Her passion in life is traveling the world with a backpack and on a shoestring budget.

Stephanie Karls, the Coordinator of Kenosha County Treatment Court, was the original Coordinator for the Drug Court since 2010.  She is the only fully grant-funded member of the Team, and is employed by Kenosha Human Development Services. Prior to her job with the Drug Court, she worked for 5 years as an Advocate and Volunteer Coordinator for Women and Children’s Horizons, where she served as a facilitator for the Living Free Program, teaching Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Education as well as Life Skills to males and females at the Kenosha Detention Center. This program is highly utilized by the Treatment Court Program. Ms. Karls received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

Refund policy: refunds will be issued only if the cancellation is received 2 weeks prior to the event deadline stated for each event. 

For cancellations please call the Vanessa at the A.L.L. Office at 262-595-2793. 

If you pay by credit card, your credit card will be refunded.

If you pay by check you will be issued a university refund check.