The mission of the Urban Native American Healing to Wellness Court is to create an atmosphere of healing through best practices and traditional methods in pursuit of spiritual and physical recovery for Native Americans with two or more DWI convictions.
The mission of the Urban Native American Healing to Wellness Court is to create an atmosphere of healing through best practices and traditional methods in pursuit of spiritual and physical recovery for Native Americans with two or more DWI convictions who meet the Healing to Wellness Court criteria.
The program includes Native American Specific Treatment such as talking circles and sweat lodges, which are meant to encourage peer support and build a sense of community for those in the program while connecting with their culture. In addition, the program follows evidence-based practices to support the rehabilitation of the offender, while holding them accountable. Through the use of graduated sanctions, positive reinforcement and focusing on the treatment of the disease by individualized substance abuse treatment, we are able to address causative factors associated with the offense. The goal of the program is to reduce incidents of DWI, reduce the number of victims affected by DWI, and improve our community’s safety, while changing the lives of each participant through healing, treatment, and by providing a support system to each participant. The program consists of a multifaceted team which includes the presiding judge, the Honorable Judge Renée Torres, two probation officers, a program manager, a lead worker, a specialty court division director, an assistant district attorney, a public defender, and clinical treatment staff who are all dedicated to the mission of the program.
