The stockbridge munsee community is a federally recognized tribe in shawano county, wisconsin

The Stockbridge-Munsee Community, a federally recognized tribe in Wisconsin, received a $899,980 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (CFDA 16.596 - Tribal Justice Assistance) to operate a Healing to Wellness Court program within the Stockbridge-Munsee Reservation. The program aims to prevent substance use disorder-related crimes, including those tied to the opioid epidemic, through a team-based approach integrating substance abuse treatment, community resources, and the tribal justice process. Key expected outcomes include higher treatment participation and retention rates, reduced drug-related crimes, fewer child removals, and faster family reunifications. This 5-year project, starting on October 1, 2024, will serve enrolled tribal members and surrounding community members referred by the tribal court and other agencies.

The tribe will use this funding to operate a healing to wellness court program within the stockbridge-munsee reservation with the goal of developing, supporting, and improving adult tribal justice systems to prevent various types of crime, including those related to substance use disorders. The healing to wellness court will focus on substance misuse and crime prevention through interventions and alternatives to incarceration, specifically targeting crime related to the opioid epidemic. Substance use disorder is a common underlying factor in many of the criminal and social issues affecting the tribal community. The stockbridge-munsee healing to wellness court integrates alcohol and drug treatment, community healing resources, and the tribal justice process, using a team approach to address each participant's specific circumstances and needs, leading to individualized wellness plans. The expected outcomes of this project include higher rates of participation and longer stays in substance use disorder treatment with positive outcomes, resulting in a reduction in drug-related crimes, fewer removals of children from their families, and shorter periods before family reunification can take place. This project will serve enrolled tribal members living on the stockbridge-munsee reservation and in surrounding communities. Participants will be referred to the program by the stockbridge-munsee tribal court, other tribal courts, non-tribal courts, or other agencies. The program will bring together the stockbridge-munsee judiciary, human services, behavioral health, public safety, and educational and career services agencies in a non-adversarial court system. This court will develop a team to provide supportive, intensive judicial monitoring and interventions to treat individuals with substance use disorders and other CO-occurring risk factors.