(AP) – A Honolulu program to try to prevent women from committing crimes by treating their addiction and trauma is expanding to the island of Hawaii. The Women’s Court, which launched as a pilot project in 2023, has helped women who committed nonviolent crimes with substance abuse treatment, parenting classes and finding work. The program has helped women regain custody of their children and find housing. The Women’s Court in Kona is set to open next month with 14 women that are already in the district’s drug court. Judge Wendy DeWeese, who will oversee the court, says if the additional mental health treatment works to keep women from re-offending, “why are we just doing this with women?”

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