24th Judicial District Treatment Court

Project Abstract – Harney County

Harney County (HC), Oregon is requesting Adult Drug Court Enhancement Funds (Category 3) in the amount of $499,653 to enhance the 24th Judicial District Treatment Court (JTC) (formerly the Harney County Treatment Court) an adult drug and DUI to cover HC, encompassing over 10,000 square miles with a population of 7,200, and Grant County (GC), encompassing over 4,000 square miles with a population of 7,400. Both are federally designated as frontier due to its isolation and remoteness with the nearest outside resources being 132 miles away. The HC Court is located in Burns and the GC Court is located 70 miles away in Canyon City. JTC is a post-adjudication court and has been operating since 2008. Pro-tempore Judge Christie Timko presides over the JTC and the Coordinator is Cheryl Foster, both may be reached at 541-573-5207.

JTC projects to double the overall capacity serving a total of 30 participants with a daily capacity to service 15 participants per county. Minimum program participation requirements are 14 months with a maximum program length of 24 months, but may be extended on a case-by-case basis; however, average graduation length is 27 months.

JTC accepts nonviolent, high criminogenic risk, high substance treatment need offenders.   JTC uses the evidence-based Local Service/Case Management Inventory, the Texas Christian University II Drug Screen and the clinical and comprehensive American Society of Addiction Medicine assessment. JTC has adopted a policy consistent with the NADCP Board of Director’s resolution on the availability of M.A.T.

JTC implements the NADCP 10 Best Practice Standards and 10 Key Components, herein identified as (Standard and KC) and addressed at a minimum on pages 1 through 20. Grant funds will enable the JTC to increase the geographical coverage by activating a Grant County Team, and provide evidence-based SUD treatment, frequent/random substance use testing, and social support services for participants. Funds will maintain a coordinator at a .50 FTE and provide a consistent pro-tempore judge at six days a month.

JTC is receiving funds to provide a pro-tempore judge 3 days a month through the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission expiring June 30, 2021.

The program received funding through BJA in 2011, 2014 and 2017 (2011-DC-BX-0038, 2014-DC-BX-0038 & 2017-DC-BX-0028). HCTC was the recipient of a drug court planning grant and team members attended a National Drug Court Institute sponsored Adult Drug Court Training in Portland, OR, February 25 – 29, 2008.