Cassopolis, Michigan, October 9, 2025 – While many Michigan Courts, including the Michigan Supreme Court, celebrate Reunification Day every June, the Cass County Courts decided to hold its 2025 reunification day celebration on Friday, October 3, 2025 at Dodd Park, in Cass County, Michigan. Celebration attendees enjoyed a photo booth run by Cass County CASA, iced apple cider provided by the Coffee Pot, family photos by photographer Tanya Leach, tractor rides by Parks Director Scott Wyman, pumpkin decorating, bracelet making, children’s activity bags by Great Start Collaborative, and food provided by Court staff.
Reunification Day highlights the critical importance of family reunification, recognizing the perseverance of parents and celebrating the tireless work of community professionals supporting parents’ hard work. Cass County Courts have expanded the reunification day celebration to include not only parents who are working towards or who have achieved reunification with their families but also to include individuals working towards or who have achieved long term recovery from substance abuse through support from Cass County’s problem-solving courts.
Judge Bealor told attendees of the celebration, “We are so thankful for the support of our community and the hard work of our team members who facilitate positive outcomes for individuals and families working towards long term recovery from substance abuse which builds better childhoods for our children, healthier and more resilient individuals, and safer and stronger communities.”
Michigan’s problem-solving courts have been extraordinarily successful in solving problems and saving lives. These innovative courts reach 97 percent of our state’s population and help to make communities statewide safer and stronger. Also called treatment courts, they are successful because participants can access treatment and other support needed to address underlying issues affecting persons entering the criminal justice and abuse neglect court systems, specifically, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, mental illness, and untreated trauma. Unlike traditional courts, problem-solving courts are not adversarial and take a team approach that brings community stakeholders together to reach a “win-win” outcome that prevents further offenses and saves local governments the cost of incarceration.
Cass County’s full continuum of problem-solving courts focuses on providing evidence-based responses that work to improve outcomes, restore families, and make our communities safer. Cass County’s Problem-Solving Courts include Family Treatment Court (started by retired Judge Susan L. Dobrich and currently presided over by Chief Judge Carol Montavon Bealor), Adult Treatment Court/Sobriety Court (presided over by Judge Rentfrow), Mental Health Court (presided over by Judge Herman), and the Swift and Sure Sanctions Probation Program (presided over by Judge Herman). Participants in each of these programs are provided with intensive case management involving supportive services from a multi-disciplinary team, which includes peer supports (persons with lived recovery experiences), focusing on each participant’s strengths to develop an individualized treatment plan that promotes long term recovery, positive parenting, and positive re-engagement with the community.