Every Court is a Treatment Court

The National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP), in partnership with Kenosha County, Wisconsin, seeks to implement the Every Court Is a Treatment Court initiative. This project will enable every criminal court in Kenosha County to leverage the research-based practices set forth in the Adult Drug Court Best Practice Standards, achieve improved outcomes for court-involved individuals with substance use disorders, and protect public safety.

The focus area of this project is enhancing collaboration among criminal justice, behavioral health, and public health systems to reduce barriers to success for persons with substance use disorders. The project addresses substance use disorders and prevents drug overdoses and fatalities. Testing and evaluating this approach in Kenosha County will demonstrate its feasibility and provide valuable lessons learned and implementation guidance to other jurisdictions across the country.

NADCP will work intensively with Kenosha County’s criminal courts, district attorney’s office, public defender’s office, law enforcement agencies, behavioral health division, and community-based partners to reshape the county’s approach to criminal case processing. After conducting a thorough system assessment and developing a written action plan, NADCP and Kenosha County will implement several critical enhancements to its current court process. These enhancements will include universal risk-need screening using a validated screening tool, clinical assessment by a licensed treatment provider, individualized treatment and supervision planning based on risk and need, the development of new diversion programming and other interventions, the implementation of evidence-based supervision with graduated incentives and sanctions, and the introduction of onsite services in the courthouse.

NADCP will serve as the research partner for this project and will conduct an impact evaluation to measure the program’s success. In addition, NADCP and Kenosh County will develop a range of practitioner-friendly products to help other jurisdictions develop similar programs. Products may include an implementation toolkit, sample policy and procedure manual, descriptions of stakeholder roles and responsibilities, lessons learned interviews with key stakeholders, and other resource materials.