Drug Court Review II Now Available!

The second issue of the  Drug Court Review  academic journal is now available online from the Justice Programs Office (JPO) and National Drug Court Resource Center (NDCRC). The issue offers a collection of articles on innovative approaches, program implementation, and evaluation in the treatment court field. It explores issues such as the gap between innovation and evaluation in treatment courts, the challenge when programs or practices exist before they can be evaluated, and the important need for researchers and practitioners to work together to ensure the best outcomes for treatment court participants. Read the journal articles today !

In the News: Native American Treatment Court Produces First Graduates

“There’s four words that are inscribed on the building for the United States Supreme Court: ‘Equal justice under law.’ But the question you have to ask when you read those four words is, ‘Is everyone included?’”

In Montana, Native Americans make up only about 6% of the population, however they comprise 20% of the Montana State Prison and 34% of the Montana Women’s Prison; and in Cascade County’s treatment court, Native Americans were 32% less successful in graduating than their white co-participants.

“This is not justice. This is not equality. This is not fairness. This is not what our justice system is supposed to stand for.” 

In a treatment court environment, Native Americans are generally in a group of people who are different from them. However, a recent $300,000 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) made possible a program where Native participants in drug treatment court can receive programming specific to their culture. Continue reading the story .

At JPO and NDCRC we are working to correct justice system disparities like this. We’re hoping to do this through our Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED) Program Assessment Tool. Stories like this remind us of why our work is so important. We hope this story inspires your work as well.  

Want more on the RED Tool?  Head over to our website . 

Mental Illness Awareness Week Brings Attention to the Need for Treatment Courts  

This week is  Mental Illness Awareness week , and while mental health is increasingly getting more attention in the public sector, the need for mental illness awareness is often overlooked for those incarcerated or involved in the criminal justice system.

  

In two recent articles on increase in suicide rates, we learn of the pressing need for reform in both veterans’ treatment and treatment inside prisons. In a recent Guardian  article, it was reported that the suicide rate among American active duty military personnel has risen from 18.5 per 100,000 in 2014 to 24.8 per 100,000 in 2018. It was also reported in the  San Francisco Chronicle that  twice as many people  killed themselves in California cells than in the entire federal system during 2001-2014, and the federal system has more people.

Veterans treatment courts and mental health courts offer critically important, community-based treatment to individuals that either may not typically have access to those services or that may be uninclined to use those services absent a court intervention. Ultimately, these courts are an important step in destigmatizing mental illness and paving the way for an increase in mental health awareness and treatment within and without the criminal justice system.  Read more on the blog .

Center for Court Innovation

The Center for Court Innov a tion hosted the Community Courts Roundt a ble: Developing  a n Ev a lu a tion Fr a mework on September 26-27, 2019 in New York City, bringing together  a  diverse group of rese a rchers, community court pr a ctitioners,  a nd experts in rel a ted fields to discuss ev a lu a tion ch a llenges  a nd str a tegies for strengthening the evidence b a se for community courts. Le a ning on mixed expertise, p a rticip a nts discussed the w a ys in which the model is being  a d a pted  a cross  a  ch a nging n a tion a l l a ndsc a pe,  a nd the import a nce of developing  a n ev a lu a tion fr a mework th a t  a ssesses both progr a m outcomes  a nd community eng a gement,  a  centr a l fe a ture of the community court model. For more inform a tion, contact Aaron Arnold , Director of Technic a l  A ssist a nce.  

National Family Drug Court and the

Center for Children and Family Futures

Don’t Miss Your Opportunity to Connect with the  National Family Drug Court TTA Team (FDC)  and  Children and Family Futures  at Upcoming National, State, and Regional Conferences! 

In case you missed the FDC Learning Academy’s live webinar entitled  Let’s Be Better Together – Five Questions Your Family Treatment Court Team Must Discuss If You Want to Serve In-Home Families , you can now view the recording and download resources!

Also, be sure to  check out the FDC Blog  to catch up on relevant posts for practitioners in the field and don’t forget to subscribe to their newsletter .

Tribal Law and Policy Institute

On September 10-12, 2019, the Tribal Law and Policy Institute worked in collaboration with BJA to hold the  9th Annual Tribal Healing to Wellness Court Enhancement Training . The Tribal Healing to Wellness Court Enhancement Training is a tribal-specific national training for tribal problem-solving courts. The Enhancement Training featured Wellness Court best practices and innovative strategies. Training topics cover Adult Criminal, Juvenile Delinquency, Family Dependency, DWI/DUI, and Veteran Healing to Wellness Court models. 

All of the training materials and presentations are available online at www.enhancementtraining.org/agenda . For additional Healing to Wellness Court resources and TLPI publications, please visit  www.wellnesscourts.org . 

Legislative Updates

CA A 714   –  Enacted 09/05/19  

Prior to this bill, California law required a prescriber to offer education on the use of and a prescription for naloxone or another opioid overdose reversal drug for any prescription given to someone with risk factors for overdose. This bill limits the optional naloxone prescription and education to someone who receives an opioid prescription, as well as exempts prescribers from needing to give this service to those who have their prescription delivered in an inpatient or outpatient facility. Further exemption is given for prescriptions in jail and prison, as well as when prescribing to someone with a terminal illness. 

NY A 7128   –  Enacted 09/13/19  

This act amends definitions of court proceedings that allow the extension of interim probation. Originally just allowed in cases of substance use disorder treatment for those clients in drug court, this bill expands the definitions to include any form of treatment program for any client in some form of treatment court. 

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.