The saginaw chippewa juvenile healing to wellness court's enhancement goals are to strengthen the capacity of tribal court services by providing alternatives to detention of youth

The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe will receive $400,000 through September 2027 under a Project Grant from the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance. The funding supports the Tribal Youth Program (CFDA 16.731), which aims to assist tribes in developing juvenile justice approaches.

Specifically, the Tribe will enhance its Juvenile Healing to Wellness Court by hiring a project coordinator to provide individualized case management and connect at-risk youth to educational and resilience-building resources. Assessments will evaluate substance use, adverse childhood experiences, and other needs to determine appropriate services. The multi-disciplinary team expects this holistic, comprehensive approach will decrease juvenile detention and recidivism rates by accurately diagnosing substance abuse issues and closely monitoring recovery progress. The place of performance will be Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

This will be achieved through the hiring of a project coordinator to assist youth with recovery. Services to participants of juvenile healing to wellness court will include: individualized case management, assistance with connections to needed resources, educational assistance, and other needed resilience building services. The 10 key components of healing to wellness courts will be the basis for the program. Assessments of suds, adverse childhood experiences (ACES) and other areas will be conducted in order to determine needed services for youth. A decrease in permanent juvenile detention and recidivism will be the expected outcome of services. This will be accomplished through accurate diagnosis of substance use treatment and close monitoring of recovery through the juvenile healing to wellness court multi-disciplinary team that provides holistic, comprehensive services.