Douglas County Drug Treatment Court marks 42nd graduate at courthouse
Brandon became Douglas County Drug Treatment Court’s 42nd graduate at the historic courthouse, a milestone for a program meant to cut jail strain and repeat felony cases.
Brandon walked out of the Douglas County Courthouse as the 42nd graduate of the county’s drug treatment court, giving officials another marker to weigh in a program built to steer felony defendants with substance use disorder away from the revolving door of jail and back into stability.
The ceremony at the historic courthouse in Lawrence recognized Brandon alongside Judge Mark Simpson, Drug Court Officer Shannon Bruegge, alumni and the full team behind the specialty court. Douglas County’s drug court is a four-phase treatment court for adults charged with felonies or facing felony probation violations who have a substance use disorder. Successful participants can have guilty pleas withdrawn and charges dismissed when they complete the program.
The court launched in January 2020 as part of Douglas County’s specialty-court system, which officials have described as an alternative to the traditional court process. County leaders said at the time that drug court was one solution aimed at addressing overcrowding at the Douglas County Jail. The program started with a planned 15 participants and a 16-month, four-stage design led by Judge Kay Huff.
Brandon’s graduation came after a period of visible growth for the court. The latest public count before this ceremony showed 22 graduates as of June 7, 2024, meaning the total has nearly doubled since then. The court works with DCCCA clinicians as participants move through treatment and supervision, combining courtroom oversight with behavioral health services.
The graduation also reflected the county’s larger specialty-court network. Douglas County’s Behavioral Health Court first launched as a pilot in June 2016 and works with Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center for peer support and case management. Together, the courts are aimed at reducing incarceration and giving people with addiction a path toward recovery and stability instead of repeated arrests and jail time.
The support system does not end when a participant finishes. A Drug Court alumni group formed in 2023 to stay connected with graduates and mentor current participants, and 2023 graduate Hope Thommen helped lead that effort as president in 2024. Simpson, who presided over the court in 2024 and was later appointed chief judge of the 7th Judicial District effective Jan. 1, 2026, has remained a central figure in the program’s public face as the county tracks whether the model keeps delivering measurable results.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
