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An Interview with the MATCP Leadership

In this episode, Justice Speaks continues with its series about State Treatment Court Associations.  This episode is sponsored by Reconnect.  In this episode, we interview Judge Jocelyn Fabry and Katharine Hude who represent the Michigan Association of Treatment Court Professionals (MATCP).

In the Beginning

Judge Fabry is the Chief Judge of the Sault Ste Marie Chippewa Tribal Court. She presides over a tribal healing to wellness court and is the current President of MATCP. Judge Fabry initially became involve in treatment courts when she was a tribal assistant prosecutor. That led to her presiding over a tribal healing to wellness courts which incorporates tribal customs and traditional medicine practices.

Ms. Katharine (Kate) Hude is the Executive Director of the Michigan Association. She is an attorney who became the Executive Director in 2016.  Prior to this, as an attorney she was in general practice with a focus on criminal defense and family law. As Executive Director, she works on all aspects of MATCP operations including education, conference planning, and legislation.  The association also has a Legislative Director, Judge Harvey Hoffman a retired Sobriety Court judge. (DWI/Drug Courts are known in Michigan as Sobriety Courts.)   One of her biggest responsibilities is strengthening relationships with state agencies and other state associations.

The Growth of MATCP

Judge Fabry, tell us about how the Board of Directors for MATCP is reflective of all the different professional perspectives that are involved in treatment courts.  Then there is a discussion of how Judge Schma, an early Drug Treatment Court Judge, and Judge Hoffman founded the association and held the first conference in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  Judge Fabry went to her first conference as a prosecutor in 2008.

Ms. Hude describes how membership in the association is part of the conference fee.  As the conference has grown, so has the membership.  The largest conference to date was in 2018 with 980 attendees. After that, Covid limited in-person conferences.  However, in 2022, the conference attendance rebounded to 748 attendees.  Most of the conferences are held in the middle of the state, either in Grand Rapids or the state capitol of Lansing.  To extend the reach of its training, in 2017, the association started an annual Upper Peninsula (UP) training which in 2022, had 90 attendees.

The UP training idea came from Judge Fabry speaking with Judge Geno Salomone (a former MATCP President) about the need to train courts on the issue of medication assisted treatment (MAT).  She noted that resistance to using MAT was stronger in the UP and the need to explain MAT was the focus of the first UP training conference.  That first UP training was very successful and since then has continued as an annual endeavor.

MATCP’s Accomplishments and Challenges

Ms. Hude talks about MATCP’s annual conference, which will be held February 28 to March 1, 2023.  To support the conference MATCP has created a new website that is conference specific. It is based upon the NADCP conference model and can be found at matcpconference.org.

Judge Fabry discusses about how MATCP started by focusing on education and while it is still a major focus, the association is also working to have legislation that reflects the best practices for Treatments Courts. In that regard she mentions in the successful innovative ignition interlock statute that allows individuals in Sobriety and Veterans Treatment Courts to obtain a driver’s license if doing well in the program as one of the association’s accomplishments. Ms. Hude then discusses how they are looking to expanding the driver’s license program to mental health court participants. 

Judge Fabry talks about the new medical marijuana law that gives new tools to judges in Michigan when dealing with medical marijuana.  

Ms. Hude, talks about how MATCP helped the state supreme court develop a Best Practice publication that is Michigan specific. She also talks about how MATCP developed a collaborative relationship with the different medical organizations in the state.

Judge Fabry also talks about the Treatment Courts housing project.  Working with private banks and local organizations, sober living long-term housing is being created so that courts can place participants in long-term drug free housing.

Judge Fabry discusses the new team training for individual courts and how they hope to expand it.  Also, the Association is working to support Treatment Courts with staff turnover.

Finally, Ms. Hude talks about how there are now 208 treatment courts in Michigan and how the Association is looking to provide more regional trainings during the upcoming years.

We wish to thank Judge Fabry and Ms. Hude for sharing their unique experiences with MATCP and how it is changing criminal justice in Michigan.  We also wish to thank Reconnect for sponsoring this podcast episode.

Additional Resource

You can also watch this interview by going to the Justice Speakers Institutes’ YouTube Channel or by clicking here.