Hope Court Enhancement

Summit County Court of Common Pleas HOPE Mental Health Court Enhancements

U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance

BJA FY 2021 Adult Drug Court and Veterans Treatment Court Discretionary Grant

O-BJA-2021-46003 Competition ID C-BJA-2021-00019-PROD

Proposal Abstract

Category of Funding Requested: Category 3

Type of Drug Court: Co-occurring substance abuse and mental health

Total Federal Amount Requested: $500,000

Total Number of Participants Proposed to Receive Services with Funds: 80

Target Population & Service Area: Nonviolent adult offenders struggling with co-occurring substance use disorder and mental health issues involved in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas in Summit County, Ohio.

Summary, Activities, and Deliverables: The HOPE Mental Health Court Point Program, presided over by Judge Alison Breaux, is an Ohio Supreme Court certified specialized docket. The Court serves adult offenders with persistent and severe mental illness. Over 90% participants also suffer from a substance use disorder, and this funding will route to those individuals. This project will expand and enhance Court services by providing comprehensive court-based clinical case management services through a new dedicated case manager for the Court; increasing and improving the provision of peer support services by increasing peer support staffing; and enhancing practices around assessment of unauthorized substance use by implementing a full 10-panel drug test and SCRAM bracelets for participants as needed. Deliverables include new policies/ procedures/ protocols; reports; data sets; purchase of equipment; and a planning and implementation guide. 

NADCP Standards Addressed and Page Numbers: This project addresses NADCP Standards V, VI (c), VII, and VIII referenced on pages 7, 8, 11, 12, and 13 of the narrative. 

Whether the Court is Pre or Post Adjudication: HOPE court is mainly post adjudication. In order to enter into the program, the participant must make a plea of guilty in the referring court first. However, the Court handles some Intervention In Lieu of Conviction cases that are pre-adjudication.

Minimum, Maximum, and Average Length of Program Participation: Minimum - 17 months; Maximum - No participants can stay on community control longer than five years; Average - Two years.

Access to MAT Services: Yes.

Plan to Provide Treatment and Services: 100% of participants will receive treatment and services to reduce substance use and abuse. 

Other Federal Funding Sources Leveraged: none

Whether Applicant has Received Past OJP Grant: The Summit County Court of Common Pleas received OJP drug court grant number 2019-DC-BX-0013. Additionally, Summit County received OJP drug court grant number 2012-DC-BX-0051.