The Alternative Service Program was initiated by the 1st Division of the 52nd District Court in 1986, under the direction of Judge Michael Batchik, and is used as a sentencing alternative to jail. This program is for non-violent misdemeanor offenders who would otherwise have been sentenced to jail. The program provides an alternative to incarceration by allowing the offender to complete their obligation to the court by performing unpaid labor for the community through non-profit organizations and/or units of government within Oakland County. While established by the 1^st Division of the 52^nd District Court, the program is also utilized by the other three divisions: Clarkston, Rochester, and Troy.

The offenders assigned to perform Alternative Service are supervised by our Community Service Officers. Our current locations include local churches, food pantries, senior activity centers, fire stations, a historical society, and Lakeland High school. Throughout the year the program also assists with local festivals and community events, partnering with Highland Township, Wixom, and Holly Township. The program also provides support to many local DPW’s in cleaning and maintaining city and township properties including parks, public buildings, and the Michigan Air Line Trail. At these locations offenders often complete tasks such as leaf cleanup, landscaping, litter pickup and event setup.

Each year the Alternative Service Program establishes and maintains a Court Community Garden. The garden is located at one of Oakland County’s largest food banks, making it easy for the produce grown to be given directly to those who may need it the most. Featuring forty raised planting beds, the garden provides a variety of produce each year including tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, kale and much more. Our Community Garden seeks to further the mission of providing fresh produce and groceries to those in Oakland County experiencing hardship.

Several local cemeteries also are attended to by our program, including cemeteries in Wixom, New Hudson, Walled Lake, Highland and Milford. By way of example, offenders work hard at Oak Grove Cemetery to clean and maintain gravestones on the sixteen acres of this historic cemetery. The Cemetery Fund and Community Service Officers receive many compliments from the community about how well the stones are cleaned and how meaningful the work is. For those in the community, seeing their relative’s memorial taken care of and cleaned often invokes an emotional and grateful response to program workers. The process of cleaning the stones is intricate, however offenders often enjoy seeing the result of their hard work. Many in the program find the process of cleaning these stones peaceful and understand the importance of helping relatives carry on the memories of their loved ones.

It is our goal of the Alternative Service Program that these individuals realize the impact of giving back to the community and encourage them to continue making a difference in society once their court obligations are completed. Our Community Service Officers see this often at places like our local food pantries as many return to volunteer on their own initiative. The judges of all divisions of the 52nd District Court will continue using the Alternative Service Program as an alternative jail sentence for defendants. It offers tremendous benefits to the community by saving taxpayers the cost of incarceration.