The Ohio Bar has honored the Adams County Common Pleas Court with this year’s Innovative Court Programs and Practices Award for its community initiative, Operation: Better Together. The award was presented at the Ohio Judicial Conference Annual Meeting and is intended to highlight programs that demonstrate creativity, effectiveness, and potential to serve as models for other jurisdictions.
Sponsored by the Ohio Bar Judicial Administration and Innovation Committee, the award brings visibility to programs that address significant challenges in Ohio’s courts. Judges and court leaders submit initiatives for consideration, which are evaluated on criteria including creativity, newness, impact, and scalability.
Operation: Better Together, launched under the leadership of Judge Brett Spencer, is a collaborative effort to connect vulnerable, at-risk, and justice-involved individuals with critical support services. Instead of creating new programs with additional costs, the court has worked to better align existing resources. Local agencies ranging from probation and law enforcement to schools, workforce development, the health department, and treatment providers coordinate their efforts to ensure community members do not fall through the cracks.
The program aims to provide wraparound services to address underlying issues such as poverty, substance use disorders, and mental health challenges. By working together, community institutions strive to give individuals a stronger foundation for long-term stability.
Adams County, a rural community facing high poverty rates and significant struggles with addiction and mental illness, has been a testing ground for the effort. According to Ohio State Bar Association President Chris, Judge Spencer’s practical approach has already saved lives and offers an example for other rural courts. “This common-sense resourcefulness of Judge Spencer and his team has saved lives and provides a model for other courts and counties,” Chris said.
Operation: Beter Together illustrates how existing community resources can be leveraged more effectively through coordination rather than new funding. The Ohio Bar’s recognition signals that the initiative could serve as a blueprint for similar collaborations in other parts of the state.
