Washington-Madison County Adult Drug Court Expansion - ABSTRACT
The Washington/Madison County Adult Treatment Drug/Diversion Court and Veteran’s Treatment Court (WMCATDC) proposes to collaborate with Arkansas Community Corrections, area licensed mental health and recovery support providers, HIV education and testing services, and medical providers to facilitate a complete continuum of care with culturally appropriate and evidence based services to participants who are medium to high risk criminal offenders who have severe/complex Substance Use and/or co-occurring SUD and mental health disorders. We anticipate serving 120 participants annually for a total of 600 participants over the five year funding period. This service enhancement and expansion project is designed to improve the quality and focus of individualized treatment and recovery services available to the court’s participants and their families and to increase the number of participants from rural Madison County, as well as continue expanding our Washington County Adult Drug Court and Veterans Treatment Court. The project addresses current gaps in the continuum of care for participants and will improve the outcomes of those with the most severe/complex substance abuse and mental health problems. We will specifically target individuals with substance abuse or mental health disorders in the criminal justice system that are least likely to succeed with traditional outpatient and probation services. Participants include those with a history of trauma, problem complexity, chronicity, and fewest natural supports, including racial minorities with historically low access to drug courts. Because of the characteristics of the substance-dependent individuals targeted and the expansion to Madison County, we expect increased numbers of veterans (history of trauma), repeat offenders (legal complications as a result of drug/alcohol dependence or mental health issues), individuals with serious mental health disorders (high problem complexity) and increased Hispanic enrollment.
Project goals include: Enhance and continuously improve the delivery of evidence-based and culturally appropriate services including approaches for substance abuse, co-occurring disorders, trauma, and PTSD to better serve our participants and decrease relapse and recidivism. WMCATDC also proposes to provide services that are effective for clients who are parents and have histories of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) to prevent ACE in their children. The project will implement MAT, reduce HIV risk, and reduce health disparities/access through increasing Latino enrollment.
Our mission is to continue to reduce the harmful impact on society of addiction and untreated mental health disorders by addressing the behavioral health needs of the criminal justice population this project will serve. The project is closely integrated with broader state-level systems of care efforts to ensure sustainability for the system and increase the likelihood for replication around the state. Quality improvement, replication, and sustainability will be guided by results from the project evaluation.