The Clermont County Municipal Court’s OVI Court Specialized Docket has earned final certification from the Ohio Supreme Court’s Commission on Specialized Dockets.

The local court had to submit an application, undergo a site visit, and provide specific program materials in response to certification standards that went into effect in January 2014. (OVI is an acronym for operating a vehicle while impaired, and includes those impaired by drugs and/or alcohol.)

Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor congratulated the Clermont County Municipal Court and Judge Anthony W. Brock for receiving final certification. “Specialized dockets have proven effective at addressing persistent criminal behaviors,” she said. “Specialized dockets result in significantly lower recidivism rates which means offenders become productive members of society, for which we all benefit.”

Specialized dockets are courts dedicated to specific types of offenses or offenders and use a combination of techniques to hold offenders accountable while also addressing the underlying causes of their behavior. Prompt accountability for non-compliance and positive reinforcement for productive behavior modifications are the touchstones of a specialized docket.

The new standards provide a minimum level of uniform practices for specialized dockets throughout Ohio, and allow local courts to innovate and tailor to meet their community’s needs and resources.

“We are pleased to receive the final certification from the Supreme Court of Ohio, recognizing the quality of our OVI Court specialized docket. The OVI Court docket is a true systems approach to addressing high risk, repeat OVI offenders, and our success is directly attributed to the hard work and collaborative efforts of the Municipal Court Adult Probation Department, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office, and the Clermont Recovery Center,” said Judge Brock, who presides over the OVI Court docket.

Judge Brock welcomes anyone interested to attend the OVI Court docket at 10 a.m. on Fridays in Courtroom E of the Clermont County Municipal Courthouse, 4430 State Route 222, in Batavia. For more information on the OVI Court, contact Julie Peterson, administrative support, jcox@clermontcountyohio.gov.