Will County marks 1,000th graduate of ‘transformational’ problem-solving court (original) (raw)

As Will County celebrates 1,000 graduates of its problem-solving courts, its program leaders say not only has it helped reduce recidivism, it has given graduates sobriety and a new lease on life.

“It’s transformational,” said Scott DuBois, coordinator of the problem-solving courts. “We’ve seen individuals transform their lives, people finding hope in themselves when they didn’t have it before and people starting to believe in themselves. We see that individuals can develop healthy, stable, lasting relationships in the community.”

The benefits extend far beyond the 1,000 graduates, DuBois said.

“They work and live within a family system and in a community,” he said. “There is a constant ripple effect of individuals reclaiming and redefining their lives and living in recovery. It is a milestone achievement.”

Will County State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow began securing grants to launch a local drug court in 1998. He and his team received an initial $30,000 in federal funds to research the connection between drug use and criminal behavior and visited established drug court programs in the country.

With the assistance of a 50,000stategrantanda50,000 state grant and a 50,000stategrantanda500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Will County opened its first drug court program in 2000.

The program has grown substantially, expanding beyond a drug court to include a mental health and veterans court and the Redeploy Illinois program. Together, the units make up the problem-solving courts, designed to reduce incarceration rates, treat addiction and help residents integrate back into the community.

“They treat you like a person,” said Fabiola Findlay, 48, of Joliet, a member of the 2026 class through the mental health court program. “They connect you with resources that you didn’t know were around in Joliet and the Will County area.”

Findlay said the court-ordered therapy is designed for each individual. She said she was taught to trust the process and never give up. After 14 months in the program, she said she no longer needs to self medicate with alcohol and now hosts a recovery group where others ask for her advice.

Peer support is crucial to recovery since everyone has a similar lived experience.

“I share my experience with addiction, and they gain knowledge and wisdom and hope that it is achievable to recovery, and it’s possible to do it for a length of time,” Findlay said.

Fabiola Findlay celebrates her graduation this spring from the Will County Problem-Solving Courts. Because of her experience with the program, she said she no longer needs to self medicate with alcohol and hosts a recovery group where others ask for her assistance. (Will County state's attorney's office)

Findley credits her time in the problem-solving courts to understanding herself and her mental challenges. She wants to help others and become a certified recovery coach.

“You are taught to accept yourself for who you are,” she said. “You are held accountable. There is no hiding. I learned from it and humbled myself. … I feel proud of myself. I value my life. My self-esteem has improved. I can honestly say I love myself.”

Participants in the problem-solving courts have to apply when they enter the judicial system, DuBois said. Their crime has to be nonviolent and they have to be assessed and approved by a judge to take part.

Problem-solving court is structured and intense, DuBois said. Participants regularly meet with a case manager and judge and advance through five phases.

The first step is being able to stop using their drug of choice, connect with community services and attend self-help meetings, DuBois said.

As participants move through the phases, they see recovery is possible within themselves, DuBois said.

Magdalena Campos, a 2024 graduate of the problem-solving courts, helps the program through the recently formed alumni group. She said connection is the opposite of addiction and wants graduates to know they have one another to talk to for support. (Will County state's attorney's office)

The team of case workers helps individuals with employment, education, financial responsibly and achieving healthy relationships, he said. They work with the Workforce Center of Will County to help individuals obtain vocational skills. By the last phase, participants are going to court less frequently, completing the treatment plan and preparing to graduate from the problem solving courts program, he said.

The treatment plan typically lasts about 18 months, but it is up to each individual and some people may experience relapses, DuBois said.

“We’ve had some people have multiple attempts going through the program,” he said. “It’s all individually paced. We always tell them … everyone is on their own unique pathway.”

Program graduate Magdalena Campos, 47, of Joliet, is preparing to celebrate four years of sobriety next month, the longest she has been without drugs or alcohol since she was 13.

“This is a program of chances,” said Campos, who graduated in 2024 and now leads an alumni support group. “They know we as humans make mistakes. This gave me another opportunity. This program saved my life.”

Campos said taking part in the problem-solving courts led her toward a brighter future. She is now a certified national peer recovery support specialist and sits on the board of Adult Redeploy Illinois.

She is planning events as part of a newly formed alumni group, such as a picnic next month, so program graduates can remain connected and support one another.

“Connection is the opposite of addiction,” Campos said. “We need connection. Our disease of addiction wants us to be isolated. It wants us to keep to ourselves, by ourselves so it will kill us. We need to be able to reach out to our peers. Staying connected allows us to have a meaningful, long recovery.”

About 80% of individuals who enter the program graduate, and it has led to fewer repeat offenders in the criminal justice system, DuBois said.

The recidivism rate for graduates is about 14% in their first year after graduation and 24% within five years, DuBois said. A recidivism rate in the same time can be around 75% for individuals who didn’t take part in the problem-solving courts.

Scott Dubois, Fabiola Findlay, Magdalena Campos and State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow discuss the problem-solving courts graduation ceremony on the radio. (Will County state's attorney's office)

The problem solving courts costs about 3,000toworkwithanindividualoverthecourseofyear,butitwouldcostabout3,000 to work with an individual over the course of year, but it would cost about 3,000toworkwithanindividualoverthecourseofyear,butitwouldcostabout52,000 to keep them incarcerated for a year, DuBois said.

Glasgow said the community doesn’t benefit from habitual offenders. Rather, the problems-solving courts helps reform individuals.

“We’ve created a productive citizen instead of a jail inmate,” Glasgow said.

Glasgow credits the team of judges and counselors who work with the participants, and said the alumni group is designed to help keep its graduates from relapsing, further increasing the success of the problem solving courts. Rehabilitation is one way to keep the community safe, he said.

Glasgow recounted a story of one participant who helped rescue a mother and her small child from the Des Plaines River just under two years ago. The man did not want any recognition for his heroic actions, which saved two lives that day, Glasgow said.

“That’s the kind of people that we have who succeed in our courts,” Glasgow said. “These are people we want to be productive members of society. It just shows you the potential they have.”

Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.