GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Brown County is celebrating the achievements of the first 12 graduates from its OWI treatment court program.
They had a graduation ceremony Friday at St. James Park.
The program provides participants who have been convicted of drunken driving at least four times with a treatment program and help with getting housing, education and a job if needed. The court also works to address mental health and substance use issues to promote public safety and reduce drunken driving.
“The changes that we’ve seen in these people have been amazing, rewarding, and for me, they have actually been inspiring. Society needs more success stories,” Brown County Circuit Court Judge John Zakowski said.
The court program is five phases and takes 18 months to complete.
One of the graduates is Tyler Ireland. He tells FOX 11 he’s not sure he’d been here today if he didn’t complete it.
“I’m so thankful because I’ve learned so much about myself and the people around me to create a good quality of life, and I realized I wasn’t changing for the program. The program, it really did change me.”
The Brown County executive first called for the program in his 2018 budget.
