Finger Lakes Treatment Court

The Finger Lakes Treatment Court (FLTC) is a post-plea, presentence court serving veterans and drug court participants. The court is located at the Ontario County Courthouse in Canandaigua, New York. Participants are expected to engage in clinically recommended treatment while in the treatment court, and all forms of MAT are available to participants if indicated. A current SAMHSA grant will end in September 2023. FLTC proposes to implement the project Strengthening Components and Raising Standards (SCRS). The design of this project is aimed at strengthening 5 of the 10 NADCP Key Components (KC) for drug courts. The project will be able to strengthen FLTC’s ability to follow NADCP’s best practices. The activities include addressing KC #3 by improving equity and inclusion; addressing KC #5 with a random drug testing program; addressing KC #8 with evaluation of the program enhancements to show relevance and the need for sustainability, and evaluation of participant Recovery Capital; addressing KC #9 by engaging treatment court staff and team members in state conference trainings and NDCI trainings; and addressing KC #10 by forming community partnerships and connecting participants with case management and peer support to build recovery capital. Participants and peers will work together utilizing the Recovery Capital Index tool to measure and enhance community engagement. The expected outcomes are increased numbers of Black and Hispanic people referred, admitted, and graduating from the program. This will include a more streamlined referral process utilizing an evidence-based risk assessment tool. It is expected that drug testing for the FLTC will improve with consistent trained staff and a consistent random drug testing program resulting in more testing overall. Outcomes from research will not only assist FLTC in evaluating program practices but also serve to justify enhancements for funding for future sustainability. The expected outcome for team training is increased individual knowledge and expertise and increased team cohesion and effectiveness. Finally, it is expected that treatment court participants will increase their recovery capital, better preparing them for graduation and a life of recovery beyond graduation. Ontario County will be the grant recipient on behalf of FLTC and is requesting $729,132, with 7 percent ($51,039.24) for the veterans’ part and the remainder ($678,092.76) for the drug court serving 185 participants.