19th Judicial District Court Adult Recovery Expansion Program

East Baton Rouge Parish (EBRP) spans 455 square miles and is home to a diverse population of more than 440,000 Louisiana residents. The parish comprises four cities, Baton Rouge, Baker, Central, and Zachary. The 19th Judicial District Court (19th JDC) is responsible for all civil and criminal court matters in the parish. The 19th JDC operates two specialty courts, Adult Recovery Court and the David O’Quinn Pre-Trial Diversion & Recovery Program. With support from an FY22 BJA Veterans Treatment Court grant, the 19th JDC is expected to begin enrolling participants into a third specialty court in June of 2023. 

The current proposal is being submitted by the 19th JDC to address three identified deficiencies within their Recovery Court (RC) related to the 10 Key Components for successful drug courts. Specifically, federal funds will be used to execute a contract with a to-be-determined subject matter expert to identify workflow barriers preventing early identification and prompt placement of potential program candidates. Once identified, the SME will collaborate with the project partners to develop strategies for enhancing productivity. One anticipated strategy includes the addition of a new staff member, a judicial liaison, tasked with attending daily callout at the parish prison and tracking potential candidates throughout to the referral process.

If awarded, federal funds will also be used to hire a compliance officer to enhance the identification and monitoring of participant achievements and barriers to success.

The third identified deficiency is related to a lack of local partnerships to generate support and enhance RC effectiveness. To address this weakness, the 19th JDC is proposing to execute a contract with a to-be-determined media and marketing firm to design a media campaign focused on 1) informing the public about the RC, 2) encouraging community organizations to contact the RC if they are interested in partnering to enhance referral options, and 3) generating funding.

The target population for the proposed project will be arrestees in EBRP with either drug-related charges or a documented history of substance abuse. 

Federal Funding in the amount of $1,000,000 is being requested under Category 2: Enhancement. Subrecipient awards are being proposed with Envisage Research Analytics (research partner) and SJ Community Collaborations (project management).