March 2018
I'm Just a Bill, Yes I'm Only a Bill
We are excited to announce a new feature of the NDCRC website – legislation tracking ! Stay informed about problem-solving court legislation in your state and ensure your problem-solving court program is prepared for new and relevant criminal justice, substance use treatment, and controlled substance laws.

This feature allows you to search legislation by topic, disposition (enacted, pending, failed), and jurisdiction. We have included all relevant state and federal bills that have been introduced since the beginning of the year. With over 950 pieces of legislation currently available, there should be something of interest for everyone. Take a look today!
In Honor of Women's History
In many communities, treatment court staff are besieged by the spread of opioids. We value the work of all people to combat the crisis and in honor of Women’s’ History Month we wanted to spotlight the work of women on the frontlines of the crisis. The Academy Award-nominated short, Heroin(e), examines three resilient women in the town of Huntington, West Virginia and their combined efforts to protect their community from being lost to drugs.

West Virginia’s first female fire chief, Jan Rader educates first responders, such as firefighters, law enforcement officers, and emergency medical technicians, on how to administer naloxone, a medication that blocks the effects of an overdose. Judge Patricia Keller, the Cabell County Drug Court judge featured in the film, reminds the participants in her program that honesty comes first and showing up comes second, hoping that her frequent reminders will embolden those struggling to stay sober to lean on her court’s treatment team. Founder of Brown Bag Ministries, and the last woman depicted in the film, Necia Freeman, provides meals to sex workers, encourages them to seek treatment if they are using drugs, and seeks to find beds in shelters and treatment facilities for the workers she has befriended.

We see heroines like the ones in the film all over the country, working tirelessly to little fanfare. The effort may seem endless, but it makes all the difference. Ending the forty-minute film in the most fitting way possible for a documentary in the largest public health crisis our nation has ever seen, the newly sworn-in fire chief cuts her last interview short due to a call from the dispatcher reporting an overdose.

News from Children and Family Futures
The Family Drug Court TTA Program is pleased to announce the release of the “ Family Treatment Court (FTC) Planning Guide ” published by the National Drug Court Institute and the Center for Children and Family Futures ! Whether you are planning, implementing, or currently operating an FTC in your community, this guide provides practitioners serving families affected by substance use disorder with valuable information on multidisciplinary, collaborative planning. Download your free copy of the planning guide here !
 
Register for the first webinar of the 2018 FDC TTA Program’s Learning Academy !  Ready-Set-Go! Key Planning Decisions to Help You Successfully Launch Your Family Drug Court is taking place on Thursday, April 5 (2:00pm-3:00 pm ET | 11:00am-12:00 pm PT ) . This live Café Conversation will explore collaborative strategies for planning, implementing, and sustaining your FDC to improve outcomes for children and families. Be sure to contact Children and Family Futures at [email protected] to receive your free copy of the Team Discussion Guide and link to the 30-minute presentation in advance of the live webinar.  
Upcoming Events
The National Drug Court Resource, Policy, and Evidence-Based Practice Center ’s mission is to equip the drug court field with open access to a wide variety of resources and research, helping treatment courts run more effectively.
The  National Drug Court Resource, Policy, and Evidence-Based Practice Center is funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and operated by the Justice Programs Office (JPO) at American University. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse the content of this newsletter

Please email  [email protected]  with any inquiries. 
 
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