Category: NDCRC

Treatment Courts (also sometimes referred to as problem solving courts or specialty courts) are specialized programs to help justice-involved individuals receive treatment for substance use and other mental health disorders, and they have proliferated across the country over the past three decades. The most common of these treatment courts is the adult drug court. The National Drug Court Resource, Policy, and Evidence-Based Practice Center (NDCRC) is the go-to place for drug court practitioners to access a wide variety of resources to make their programs as effective as possible. Housed at the Justice Programs Office at American University, the NDCRC has collected sample forms, research, a map of drug and other treatment courts across the country, and other resources that these practitioners can use to help their participants receive the treatment they need to get their lives back on track.

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From Student to Practitioner: My Time at NADCP 2018

Caroline at GraduationJust four years ago I was sitting with this exact (probably outdated, now) laptop trying to sell myself to American University’s admissions team. In my application, I vowed to engage in every opportunity possible to immerse myself in the criminal justice education I was pursuing. Four years later, I can proudly say that after completing three internships, graduating with University and Latin Honors, getting hired at the Justice Programs Office, and accepting a scholarship to attend the Washington College of Law (WCL), I have done just that. Now, after attending the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) Annual Conference in Houston, I know I am ready to pursue my own legal career and advocate for these life-changing specialty dockets.

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Healing While Defending Right to Counsel

Preeti Menon R2C sign

For those who work in the treatment court field, how often is a public defender part of your drug treatment court team? If your answer is “sometimes,” “not often,” or “not at all,” please continue to read. If your answer is “always,” kudos to you; please share this blog post and your stories with us.

Drug treatment courts use a specialized model for people facing criminal drug charges who live with serious substance use and mental health disorders. Drug court teams, which comprise members of the judiciary, prosecution, defense bar, probation, law enforcement, mental health, social services, and treatment communities, work together to help addicted offenders get into long-term recovery. As part of the drug treatment court team, public defenders participate in the team meetings and often provides input in his/her client’s treatment plan.

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A Place Called OSCA

The Justice Programs Office is celebrating National Drug Court Month by sharing the personal perspectives of those who work in the treatment court field. Angela Plunkett, Statewide Drug Court Coordinator for the State of Missouri, finishes our guest series with her personal journey from a tough-as-nails parole officer to becoming a drug court advocate and statewide coordinator. 

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Just by looking at my 5’1 stature, you wouldn’t guess I used to be a hard-nosed, pistol-packin’ parole officer (PO), nicknamed The Iron Maiden (the only nickname I care to repeat).

I’m ashamed to admit it now, but I was a big-headed, judgmental PO who used to say to clients, “If I can say NO to drugs, you can too,” and “You’d better not EVER lie to me…”

The associate judge approached myself and three other PO’s in the law library one day after court. He asked if we had ever heard of “drug court.” My response, which surprised even me, was, “I don’t know what it is, but I’m all in!” After 12 years at Probation & Parole I was tired of the generational, revolving door and needed something new.

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Indigenizing the Drug Court

The Justice Programs Office is celebrating National Drug Court Month by sharing the personal perspectives of those who work in the treatment court field. Lauren van Schilfgaarde, Tribal Law Specialist at the Tribal Law and Policy Institute, continues our series with a look at Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts and their ability to heal both addictions and communities. 

headshot (1)The modern tribal court is not an organic indigenous system. It is, in part, a product of the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of 1934,[1] a federal statute that rejected prior federal Indian policies of assimilation and land loss and promoted the reestablishment of tribal governments.[2] Yet, the implementation of the Act meant tribal governmental structures needed to look and sound like Anglo institutions rather than traditional tribal ones. Furthered by the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968,[3] the typical tribal court mirrors the American adversarial system, complete with a focus on incarceration and poor recidivism rates.

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Luck or Hard Work

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Last year, the annual National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) conference was held in Washington, D.C., in June.  The Justice Programs Office presents at the conference every year and we bring many of our resources with us to share with the treatment court field. One of the most popular tools is a thumb drive pre-loaded with a library of digital resources for drug court practitioners.  I attended the conference last year as a newly appointed Project Director for the National Drug Court Resource Center, a project funded by Bureau of Justice Assistance, and we had just completed the planning phase for many of the project’s initiatives.  During the conference, I came across a dollar that I deemed to be my drug court lucky dollar.  I have carried this dollar with me in my phone case over the last year and would like to share the successes we have had since.

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Join us at the National Association of Drug Court Professionals Annual Conference

NDCRC is excited to join our partners and friends at the National Association of Drug Court Professional Annual Conference (NADCP). Don’t miss out on the workshops we are hosting!

Effective Communication and Media for Drug Courts
Wednesday, May 30, 1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. | 320 A
Panelists: Dr. Elizabeth Krempley, Megan Ward
Implementing a few simple communications practices can have outsized benefits for your treatment court. Telling your organization’s story well can improve community support for your program, increase enrollment, and raise your profile among potential funders. Join American University’s Justice Programs Office’s Elizabeth Krempley, Associate Director for Communications, and Megan Ward, Program Associate, to learn practical communications strategies and procedures for drug courts! This workshop will cover how to craft your program’s message, how to use social media to share your message, and how to engage with reporters and traditional media.

The 2017 Drug Court Review: A Discussion with the Authors
Wednesday, May 30, 1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. | 371 B/E
Moderator: Preeti Menon; Panelists: Dr. Julie Baldwin, Dr. John Gallagher, Dr. Paul Lucas
NDCRC publishes an annual scholarly journal for the treatment court field, focusing on relevant and timely issues. This year’s Drug Court Review is centered around the study of veterans treatment courts (VTCs).  Select authors of articles of this special issue will discuss their research and emergent topics within the VTC field.

Judicial Leadership: What They Don’t Teach You When Taking the Bench (for Judges and Those Who Work Closest with Them)
Thursday, May 31, 3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.  | Grand Ballroom B
Moderator: Preeti Menon; Panelists: Hon. Robert Russell, Hon. Tim Marcel, Hon. Eric Mehnert, Hon. Kevin Burke
After years of law school, practicing law, and serving on the bench, judges are well versed in the law. However, being an effective leader within the treatment court field comes with its own unique set of challenges and requisite skills. It is all too common for judges to be put in the position to lead these innovative programs without any formal education or training in program management or leadership. This session will cover skill building for judges in leadership, vision development, and effective communication.

Prosecutors and Defenders as Adversaries and Allies
Friday, June 1, 1:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Grand Ballroom C
Moderator: Zephi Francis; Panelists: Jenny Semmel, Ginger James, Pam Loh, Jonathan Schetky
The role of a prosecutor and defender fluctuate from adversaries to teammates in a drug treatment court setting. This session will provide attendees an opportunity to hear from court adversaries about collaborating and shifting their roles to best serve participants while adhering to the drug court model. This session will provide a medium for prosecutors and defenders to discuss challenges often encountered when working together toward a common goal of participant graduation.

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Drug Courts Are Treatment Courts

The Justice Programs Office is celebrating National Drug Court Month by sharing the personal perspectives of those who work in the treatment court field. Jeffrey Kushner, MPHA, the Statewide Drug Court Administrator for the State of Montana begins our series examining the important partnership between treatment providers and drug court teams. 

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Jeffrey N. Kushner, MPHA,
Statewide Drug Court Administrator, State of Montana

There are few services more difficult to provide than alcohol and other drug use treatment. In most instances we are, at least initially, dealing with individuals whose brains have been hijacked by powerful drugs. New drug court participants are often primarily interested in getting more and more of their drugs of choice and not in overcoming their problems. Treatment professionals, therefore, need all the help and support we can provide them in order to be most effective with our drug court participants. With over 50 years of experience in this field, it is very clear to me that by utilizing the resources of the criminal justice system and the treatment system we can improve success through the use of evidence-based practices rather than each system by itself.

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Overcoming Stigma with Treatment Courts

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Sixty-five million Americans have a criminal record. That is 65 million people living with barriers to employment, education, housing, and other key assets needed to build a life. To raise awareness about the limits placed on formerly incarcerated people re-entering society, the Justice Programs Office (JPO) has joined other organizations in declaring April 2018 “Second Chance Month.” During my time at JPO, my work has focused on substance use issues, and I have witnessed the added stigma given to those with substance use disorders in the criminal justice system. Labeling a person as an “addict” and a “criminal” effectively reduces their humanity and serves as justification for denying them support services. This stigma is something treatment courts actively work against. These specialized court programs are designed to recognize the dignity of every person and provide them with an opportunity for a second chance.  Continue reading “Overcoming Stigma with Treatment Courts”

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A Journey to Wellness

In tribal communities throughout the United States, alcohol-related crime and death are immense concerns for citizens. While exploring ideas on how to decrease the high rates of alcohol and substance use by Native American populations for National Drug Court Resource Center, I came across several programs that the Navajo Nation is implementing to combat drug and alcohol problems. In an effort to learn about these initiatives, I got in touch with and interviewed a member of the Judicial Branch of the Navajo Nation.

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Supporting Treatment Courts Over the Years

I am tasked with surveying women who are participants in a family treatment court. The survey questionnaire is lengthy and may seem daunting in paper form, so I’ve been instructed to administer it in person. I handwrite the answers during hour and a half long interviews. Sometimes the interviews last even longer, depending upon the emotional state of the participant. Aside from reading reports on emerging problem-solving courts, this is my first experience inside a family treatment court. It is 1999, and I am working as a research associate for a study on Manhattan Family Treatment Courts while attending graduate school at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

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