Codington County Approves Transition to Community Treatment Court System
- Steve Jurrens
- Jun 25
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD – The Codington County Board of Commissioners authorized a state-guided transition to a multi-agency Community Treatment Court system while approving the necessary technological infrastructure to support expanding pre-trial services.
The first measure authorized Chair Troy VanDusen to sign a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), executing a structural conversion from the traditional drug court framework to a unified Community Treatment Court layout. Commissioner Lee Gabel, who served as the county’s representative during regional planning, detailed the collaborative spirit behind the judicial update.
“This is an effort at the state level to get all the treatment courts thinking as a community,” Gabel explained to the board. “It provides an alternative, hopefully that people can avoid prison, get on with their lives... it’s a UJS [Unified Judicial System] program, but we do want to be supportive of it.”
The intensive diversionary framework leverages coordinated tracking by judges, prosecutors, defense counsel, law enforcement, and clinical therapists to treat underlying substance use and mental health struggles. The structural value of the program was emphasized by Commissioner Myron Johnson, who recalled a powerful real-world interaction from his tenure.
“It’s a very, very good program,” Johnson reflected. “I recall at an event, this lady came up to me and she was in tears, and thanking me because the drug court had actually saved her daughter. When you get feedback from community people like that, that really makes you feel good about some of the stuff that we actually are involved in.”
The finalized MOU carries the signatures of circuit legal leadership alongside local signatories, including State’s Attorney Alison Bakken, Sheriff Brad Howell, and Community Services Director Sara Foust.
