Antigo, Wisconsin
The Setting
Langlade County is a small, economically distressed county in northeastern Wisconsin, approximately an hour from Green Bay. Antigo, the county seat, is consistently cited among Wisconsin's most economically challenged communities. Methamphetamine use is a significant local issue, and housing instability, including couch-surfing and informal arrangements, is common but largely invisible. The county has no treatment court or specialty court. A diversion program was established in 2023 under the district attorney's office, staffed by a single director who also writes grants, facilitates Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) groups, manages community outreach, and coordinates with every partner agency. The program is funded through Wisconsin's Treatment and Alternative Diversion grant, which requires a 25 percent county match, and is modeled on the Front End Intervention and Treatment approach developed in Marathon County, also in Wisconsin.
The Approach
Every morning, the director reviews overnight jail bookings. If a defendant's charges suggest potential eligibility, a risk and needs assessment is conducted the same day. Eligible individuals can be offered program entry immediately, walk out of jail, and start that afternoon. About 25 percent of cases move that quickly. Program length ranges from 90 days to two years, organized into three phases with decreasing contact frequency as clients demonstrate compliance.
Every program participant is assigned a peer support specialist from Three Bridges Recovery, the county's primary recovery community organization. Peer support is not optional; it is a program requirement. The peer meets with the client at least weekly by phone and at least monthly face-to-face. The director co-facilitates MRT groups with a Three Bridges peer support person, a model she found more effective than facilitating alone. Three program graduates have since completed peer support training on their own.
Scheduling is built around client employment. The director works from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. as needed to accommodate clients who cannot miss work for appointments. The program maintains a 10-to-1 incentive-to-sanction ratio, with heavy use of praise, small gift certificates, and candy as positive reinforcement. The OWL program, developed for individuals who face barriers to obtaining a driver’s license, provides a streamlined pathway: identify barriers to licensure, address them, or provide an online course for situations where licensure is not possible, then close the case.
“You can't just come to this community and set up a program traditionally. You've got to figure out different venues and different ways to reach people.”
— Diversion director, Langlade County
The Lesson
A one-person program is only viable with strong community partnerships. Three Bridges Recovery is not a vendor; it is a co-implementer. The peer support component, the MRT co-facilitation, and the community outreach events the program runs together all depend on that relationship being genuine and sustained. Without a partner like Three Bridges, the program model does not function.
Community presence outside the office generates referrals and trust that formal processes cannot replicate. The director attends church meals, local fairs, and community events with a table and self-care bags. The Unity in the Community annual event, held in September during recovery month, began with 50 free meals and now draws 150-plus attendees with agency tables, raffle items, and a remembrance ceremony for those lost to substance use. That community visibility is not peripheral to the program's work; it is part of how the program builds the trust that allows a defendant to walk through the door.
For single-staff programs, sustainable hours and clear boundaries are not optional. The director works flexible hours intentionally to serve clients but maintains a caseload that remains manageable. The opioid settlement task force for the county is now active, with transportation, education, and treatment as the first funding tier. Programs positioned within that stakeholder structure are better placed for funding continuity than those operating in isolation.
In the summary brief
Refocus supervision resources on conduct that threatens public safety.
Every participant is assigned a peer support specialist as a program requirement. With a peer handling regular connection, encouragement, and shared experience, the pretrial officer can focus on what peers cannot provide: risk-related supervision and coordination with the court.
Also under Strategy 6
Riverside Criminal Justice Agency
This project was supported by Grant No. 15PBJA-22-GK-03661-JAGT awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.