2B District Court Drug Treatment Court, Hillsdale County Michigan

Proposal Abstract

The HDC seeks priority consideration for a $500,000 BJA FY 21 Discretionary Grant in Category 3, Adult Drug Court as rural, imporverished, and in a qualified opportunity zone.  No federal funding sources are being leveraged. HDC seeks to expand and enhance the program by: adding a felony track to the existing misdemeanor track; supporting use of the Risk and Needs Triage screening tool; creating a local intensive outpatient program using the Matrix Model of Addiction Treatment; and increasing the role of its recovery coaches. A previous BJA grant was received in 2017; no. 2017-DC-BX-0022.
 

The HDC is a post-adjudication, adult drug treatment court serving greater Hillsdale. Admission protocols include criminogenic high risk of recidivism and high need for substance use treatment and will be determined through screening and professional assessment using targeted, evidence-based practices. This target population will consist of 15% of the arrestee population.

The HDC’s goals include protecting public safety, reducing recidivism and substance abuse, preventing overdose, and ensuring inclusion. The presiding judges will lead a team of multidisciplinary professionals. Individualized treatment plans and goals will be established and services provided for each participant by qualified clinicians and case managers utilizing evidence-based practices. Participants will attend court hearings involving motivational interviewing and an informed and respectful judge. Random drug screening will be required and appropriate incentives, sanctions, and therapeutic adjustments given.

200 total participants are proposed to receive services with these funds. Currently there are 32 misdemeanant participants. The implementation of the felony track will bring an estimated 35 more participants, doubling the HDC’s participant population and serving potentially 70 people at one time. Minimally, each participant on both the felony and misdemeanor tracks will spend 15 months in the program, and will have at least 90 days of sobriety before graduation. Misdemeanor track maximum is 24 months, with average participation length being 18 months. Felony track maximum is 36 months, with average participation length 24 months.

Hillsdale Hospital collaborates with HDC and locally provides medically assisted treatment. The HDC will comply with all Ten Key Components and NADCP Best Practice Standards for drug treatment courts, all of which are addressed on pages 1 – 20 of the project narrative. The HDC will use its evaluator and continue using the Drug Court Case Management Information System to collect data (from referral through one year post program completion) to report and evaluate in-program progress as well as post-program recidivism.