JANESVILLE, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS) – A Rock County program meant to help drunken drivers not repeat their past mistakes is running out of space.

At first, you might think OWI cases are on the rise, but it's actually about more people getting the help they need.

Every Tuesday afternoon, Rock County Circuit Court Judge Mike Haakenson knows where he will be.

“This is hard work,” Haakenson said. “This is not the easy way out. I think people, some people, tend to view it as the easy way out. This is actually the harder way out.”

Haakenson oversees Rock County's OWI Court.

It's a program funded by the Department of Corrections for people who plead guilty to a third OWI offense and deal with moderate to severe alcohol or drug abuse.

“You're still getting jail time,” Haakenson said. “You still have to sit two days in jail, so that's a minimum amount you have to sit pursuant to the statute. You're still having financial obligations. You're still getting your license revoked. It may be for less time, but there is still a penalty involved. This is not a situation where you go to the program and there's no penalty.”

For the first time since the program began in 2012, OWI court is nearing capacity.

Rock County officials don't know why for sure, but stiffer OWI penalties could be one reason.

“The penalties of OWI fourth have increased in the last few years,” Haakenson said. “And so now if you get an Operating While Intoxicated as a fourth, that's a felony and you can go to prison, so there's a motivation for people now to get help in the community to avoid going to prison.”

Right now, there are 31 participants in the program which only has room for up to 35 at any given time.

“I guess it's a good place to be where people are taking advantage of the program, finding it beneficial and we're being successful,” Elizabeth Pohlman McQuillen, who is the justice system manager for Rock County and helps administer the OWI program, said. “We are helping the public. We are helping the taxpayer by keeping people out of jail and prison, from getting into accidents, from, you know, hurting or killing other people. We are protecting public safety.”

There are several other OWI courts across the state, but Pohlman McQuillen says support from local stakeholders has helped make Rock County's program such a success.

“All of our stakeholders are very committed, our judge is very committed,” Pohlman McQuillen said. “He believes that people can change. All of our stakeholders from our district attorney to our probation to our treatment folks, public defender, everybody believes that these programs are done in a way that the research shows are going to make lives better.”

So far 118 participants have gone through the program with 72 successfully graduating.

People must go to OWI court no less than 14 months, but sometimes they stay longer.

Haakenson says the program is for people who truly want to turn their lives around.

“You've got to be in court, to begin with, every week,” Haakenson said. “Plus, you've got programming on top of that. There's a lot of commitment, so I think it's an indication that people are saying 'I want to get help. I can't do it on my own and I am willing to make that investment.'”

So far, the program hasn't had to turn anybody away yet but leaders are already looking at creating a waiting list or even expanding OWI court if they can get more funding to support the resources they need.