New court program aims to help parents with substance abuse/mental health problems

When Katarina Cook was an Akron judge, she had a woman in her court whose drunken-driving case was being closely watched by domestic court.

Domestic court officials wanted to be sure the woman was doing what she was supposed to and – if she wasn't – this could impact her visitation time with her children.

That case gave Cook, who became a Summit County Domestic Relations judge in 2017, an idea for a program in her new court aimed at accomplishing the same goal – helping people in their recovery so they can improve their family's lives.

"I thought, 'We should just do it all here,' " Cook said. "We should not have to wait until a crime is committed. It should be done before then."

The Family Recovery Court Program is geared toward people who are going through a divorce or a dissolution who suffer from a substance abuse and/or mental health issue. The program provides participants with services and monitors their progress in addressing their problem.

Cook said the participants' marriages are crumbling because of their alcohol or drug use or mental problems, though the situation hasn't risen to the level in which Summit County Children Services or police are involved.

"But, it's getting there," she said.

Cook started the program in November but the fledgling effort faced a new challenge when the pandemic hit. She has been meeting with participants through videoconferencing while access to the courts has been limited.

So far, 10 people have taken part in the voluntary effort and Cook hopes that number will grow. She also plans to explore getting the program certified by the Ohio Supreme Court, which could open up additional funding opportunities.

Cook said Cuyahoga County is the only other county in the state with a recovery program in domestic court.

Summit County's program is designed to last a year but can continue as long as two years. To graduate, participants must be sober for 90 days and have a parenting plan agreed to by them and their former spouses.

Mary Randazzo, a longtime domestic attorney who also serves as a guardian for children in domestic cases, helped Cook in developing plans for the program. She thinks the effort fills a missing piece in the domestic puzzle and helps to keep the best interest of children in mind as well as parents suffering from addiction.

"I think it's an absolute necessity," she said. "There has to be a path because people don't do this on their own."

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com, 330-996-3705 and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj.

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