Newsletter
August 2022
What's Happening at NDCRC?
RISE22 Recap

The NDCRC had a great time at NADCP’s RISE22 conference in Nashville! It was wonderful to meet you all, the practitioners who work in treatment courts every day. We hope that you will utilize all of the NDCRC’s free resources and share them with your teams at home. Be sure to check out our newest publications: the Painting the Current Picture (PCP) survey Highlights and Insights, and the first issue of the NDCRC’s infographic series, the Data Digest. Stay tuned for the full PCP survey monograph as well as court-specific reports!
Call for Submissions: Drug Court Review Volume II

Drug Court Review is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that builds a bridge between law, science, and clinical communities. Published annually by the NDCRC, the journal emphases scientific research and provides commentary from experts in treatment courts that practitioners can apply to their everyday work. The theme for Volume II is Women in Treatment Courts. Submissions for general treatment-court related topics are also accepted. Manuscripts for full-length original research articles or brief reports, scholarly reviews, or case studies will be considered. Submit articles via the Drug Court Review portal or read more on our website!
Professional Development

August 18, 2022 3:00 - 5:00 PM ET

Join the National Family Drug Court TTA Program for a forum featuring housing experts and family treatment court (FTC) practitioners sharing strategies designed to meet the housing needs of families involved in child welfare. Presenters will offer highlights of their strategies before moving to breakout rooms for participant Q&A. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about how to effectively partner with housing providers!



August 9, 2022 2:00 PM ET

The Tribal Youth Resource Center will host an Online Learning Event for OJJDP Tribal Youth Program & Juvenile Healing to Wellness Court grantees as well as other Federally Recognized Tribes and interested communities. The 90-minute OLE will feature a panel of Native youth sharing their experiences with mentoring and peer mentoring, as well as provide information about the 7th generation mentoring model funded by OJJDP.
TTA Collaborative Updates
The Training & Technical Assistance (TTA) Collaborative comprises four entities: The National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP), Center for Court Innovation (CCI), Tribal Law & Policy Institute (TLPI), & the National Drug Court Resource Center (NDCRC). Monthly updates from our TTA Collaborative partners are featured below.
Tribal Law & Policy Institute
2022 Tribal Healing to Wellness Court Enhancement Training

Save the date! This year’s THWC Enhancement Training will take place in Albuquerque, New Mexico September 26-28, 2022. The 2022 Tribal Healing to Wellness Court Enhancement Training (Enhancement Training) will be oriented around the Tribal Ten Key Components and the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) National Drug Court Standards. The Enhancement Training focuses upon tribal issues, including jurisdictional and legal issues unique to Indian country; the incorporation of custom and tradition into the phases, case management, treatment curriculums, and tangential services; and the peer-to-peer sharing of successful Healing to Wellness Courts models in operations. Training topics will cover the adult criminal, juvenile delinquency, family dependency, DWI/DUI, and veterans models.

Please visit EnhancementTraining.org for more information.
Center for Court Innovation

In a companion report to its first publication, the Center for Court Innovation and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association describe their work with six additional jurisdictions that participated in strategic planning to increase their capacities to uphold Sixth Amendment rights. Centered on multi-agency planning at the local level and unfolding during the unprecedented events of the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd, the report offers lessons learned that can provide guidance and practical advice to other jurisdictions interested in strategic planning. A key finding is the importance of flexibility in the process. Across efforts with all jurisdictions, it is the buy-in and bandwidth of the local planning team members that most often predicts successful outcomes.
Featured Tribe
Pueblo of Pojoaque Path to Wellness Court
Congratulations to the Pueblo of Pojoaque Path to Wellness Court!

The Pueblo of Pojoaque Path to Wellness Court is being recognized with the 2022 State Bar of New Mexico Annual Award for Outstanding Program in New Mexico. The Path to Wellness Court team works together to maintain fidelity with the 10 Key Components of Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts and the NADCP Adult Drug Court Best Practice Standards. The team is so proud of the changes we have seen in participants’ lives since the Path to Wellness Court was implemented in 2015, even with the challenges of creating change during the global pandemic.

The Court has admitted about 150 high risk/high needs individuals, almost all Native Americans, since that time, providing evidence-based intensive supervision and treatment. Judge Kim McGinnis has presided over the wellness court team since planning began in 2014, with community meetings, advisory board meetings, and on-site training from NADCP. Probation Officer Dawn DeSmet and Alcohol and Substance Use Counselor Cindy Martinez have also been on the team since the beginning. We have added a peer recovery specialist, Sam Johnsen, and a tribal elder, Laurie Anne Iturralde, to the team. In 2017, the Path to Wellness Court team implemented a sober living and re-entry project. The Pojoaque Sober Living Apartments is a place to stay for a few days up to a year for participants who are unsheltered or do not have a stable, sober living situation. The goal of the Path to Wellness Court is to collaborate with participants to build recovery capital and achieve a foundation of recovery.
In Other News
Filmmaker Margaret Byrne has released a documentary following three Mental Health Treatment Court participants called “Any Given Day,” set in Cook County, Illinois. Find screening times and other viewing opportunities at the documentary’s website.

The Reno Municipal Court is testing a new program to prepare potential participants to enter treatment court with a goal of improving outcomes once those participants begin the program. The court presented on this program last week at NADCP’s RISE22 conference.

In 2014, California passed Proposition 47, reducing the penalties for drug possession charges. As a result, treatment courts in California have experienced a significant drop in participation and are testing out ways to increase these numbers again.