Mission
Wellness Court in Itasca County was established in April 2007 with a mission to unite judiciary criminal justice entities, substance abuse treatment providers and the community to:
- Enhance public safety
- Ensure offender accountability
- Reduce the financial impact on society
- Reduce substance abuse
- Restore offenders to law abiding productivity
Participants
The program is geared specifically for drug offenders with non-violent criminal histories and in 2009 was expanded to include gross misdemeanor and felony level DUI offenders.
Tribal Court Agreement
The Itasca County Wellness Court is one of only two drug/DWI courts in the nation that have a Joint Powers Agreement with a Tribal Court (
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe). Minnesota District Court Judge Korey Wahwassuck and Leech Lake Tribal Court Judge Megan Treuer preside jointly over Wellness Court hearings.