Judge Patrick Shannon – Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribal Court
This presentation will provide a timeline for the growth of the Tribal Court’s client-centered Healing to Well Treatment Program with its reliance and focus on public health, medical, and nursing theories.
Patrick Shannon has served as the Chief Judge of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Court in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan since 1999. He holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Detroit School of Law, Bachelor’s in business and Doctorate in Education from Central Michigan University, as well as a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan.
Judge Shannon served as an elected prosecuting attorney for Chippewa County, a Tribal prosecutor and served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney. He is a board member of the Michigan Association of Treatment Court Professionals.
Judge Shannon is also in the business of “keeping people alive” (rather than sentencing them to jail) by conducting adult substance “misuse” hearings in drug or treatment court. He advises other professionals working in similar treatment courts to incorporate basic principals of public health and strive for a more collaborative, client-centered, and productive approach for justice.