Treatment Courts News Archive

  • The Future of Recovery and Reform

    A conversation with our Recovery and Reform team on their new name, the intersection of the justice system and substance use, and taking on racial disparities in treatment courts.

  • Once-Resistant Rural Court Officials Begin to Embrace Medications to Treat Addiction

    KFF

    In this article, our Director of Treatment Court Programs Monica Christofferson comments on the increasing acceptance of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in the drug court system. The story follows Tennessee Judge O. Duane Slone, his pilot programs with MOUD, and the successful recoveries of participants like Rachel Solomon. In short, as Christofferson put it: “MOUD works.”

  • L.A. criminal court program diverts mentally ill offenders from prosecution

    Los Angeles Times

    Los Angeles County’s jails house a staggering number of people with mental illnesses, where these conditions go untreated and can even get worse. Under the county’s Rapid Diversion Program, operated in partnership with the Center, more than 1,500 people have been given the chance to receive treatment in their communities instead. So far, 350 people have graduated from the program to see their charges reduced or dropped.

  • Brooklyn Court Rethinks Incarceration for Individuals With Mental Illnesses

    NowThis

    NowThis, the social media-focused news outlet, created a five-video series on our Brooklyn Mental Health Court, which offers community-based treatment not incarceration for individuals with serious mental health diagnoses. Watch the following videos to learn more:
    Episode 1 - D.A. Eric Gonzalez, Episode 2 - Judge Matthew D'Emic, Episode 3 - Dave Kelly and Kerry Rowe, Episode 4 - Ruth O'Sullivan, Episode 5 - Colleen King

  • Changemakers in Action: Dave Lucas

    “I’m sort of like a drug court mechanic trying to upgrade the field’s standard practices to help reduce potential harms.” Before joining the Center for Court Innovation three years ago, Dave Lucas was an addiction therapist in Toronto, Canada for nearly a decade. Dave has brought his experience working with drug court clients to the Center’s Technical Assistance team where he serves as a clinical advisor for treatment courts, working with judges, attorneys, law enforcement, and clinicians across the country to share substance use treatment best practices and foster health equity.

  • Changemakers in Action: Alejandra Garcia

    “I feel called to advocate for the dignity and health of individuals, families, and communities.” Alejandra Garcia works to build strong communities, fulfilling a lifelong goal of transforming the criminal justice system. As a senior program manager with the Center for Court Innovation’s treatment courts team, Alejandra partners with local and national justice system practitioners to improve their drug treatment courts, develop statewide plans to address substance use, and implement opioid courts.

  • Knock Down Silos and Collaborate

    Syracuse.com

    An interview profile of Sarah Reckess, the director of our Upstate New York office: "We try to knock down silos, to challenge agencies and community leaders to think in new ways...to not be afraid of failure."