She found one. Instead of a prison sentence, Holmes was assigned to Canyon County’s mental health court. Along with other similar programs — drug court, veterans court and misdemeanor DUI court — these problem-solving courts are designed to help people turn their lives around without placing them behind bars, all under the careful supervision of a Canyon County judge.

“I had a baby, and my baby was 2 months old,” she said. “And I decided then that I didn’t want to miss any of my child’s life. I needed to figure out my life and do something with my life. Because I didn’t want to put my baby through the same stuff that I put my oldest daughter through.”

Problem-solving courts are also designed to teach participants the value and joy of giving back to the community — and that’s a lesson Holmes has enthusiastically embraced.

Not only does that approach minimize recidivism, 3rd District Drug Court Administrator Ron Christian said, it does it at minimal cost to the taxpayer. More so, he said, than anything else they’ve tried in the criminal justice system.

All problem-solving court participants are required to complete a service project. Holmes chose to help an Oregon family whose house burned down on New Year’s Eve.

In her past, she said, she’s taken away from families when she had no right to. Now, she’s giving back.

Joseph Blake, his wife and their two children escaped the blaze in Nyssa with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. They lost literally everything, Blake said, and there’s no insurance check on the way.

He said he expected help from friends, family and co-workers, and they’ve come through with whatever they could spare. But he didn’t expect help from a random Caldwell woman he’d never met.

“For a lady we don’t even know, who just heard about our story, it’s pretty damn nice of her,” Blake said.

That’s become more than a court-ordered task to stay out of prison, she said — it’s become a passion.

So how is she doing it? Gift baskets. Holmes has asked local businesses from throughout the Treasure Valley to donate baskets, which she then raffles off to raise money for the Blake family.

And she doesn’t stop at simply asking for baskets — she also assembles her own. Holmes’ own passion, she said, is fishing, and that inspired her to stuff a basket with fishing gear worth about $200 out of her own pocket.

Blake said he doesn’t know much about Holmes’ participation in the mental health court program — that’s her business, he said, not his — but any program that brings people who need help together with people who want to help is a positive thing.

“If the program is doing this for people, it needs to continue. That’s what I have to say,” Blake said.

Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney Bryan Taylor calls problem-solving courts a great resource for turning troubled residents into productive members of the community, all while sparing taxpayers the cost of incarceration.

“They do a nice job of getting at the root of the problem — be it a drug or alcohol addiction or a mental health issue — by pairing them with the resources needed for rehabilitation while at the same time holding the offenders accountable for their crimes,” Taylor said. “Problem-solving courts are effective at reducing recidivism and integrating the defendants back into society, where they can once again become productive citizens.”

Marreen Baker Burton, problem-solving court manager for Ada County and the 4th Judicial District, agrees: The programs tend to be more effective and less costly than the traditional court system.

“It’s kind of a no-brainer,” she said.

Ada County established its first problem-solving court in 1999 and has since grown to include two drug courts, a mental health court, a DUI court and a veterans court, which altogether serve about 300 participants.

ABOUT PROBLEM-SOLVING COURT PROGRAMS

The first drug court was established in Miami, Florida, in the late 1980s and gave drug offenders an opportunity to participate in a court-supervised treatment program instead of going to prison.

The goal was twofold: help alleviate pressure on the overcrowded criminal justice system and give nonviolent criminals a chance at rehabilitation rather than incarceration.

The concept came to Idaho in 2000, when the state Legislature began passing a series of new laws designed to facilitate the creation of drug courts through the state. By 2003, 32 drug courts were up and running, covering all judicial districts in the state.

The idea is that offenders, instead of going to prison, will undergo a carefully supervised, highly structured program of treatment, education and community service.

Though the concept began with specialty courts designed specifically for drug offenders, it has since expanded to mental health courts and veterans courts.

• Source: State of Idaho Judicial Branch