Statewide Therapeutic Court Infrastructure

The main goal of the projects described in this Category 3 Statewide application is to develop solid statewide infrastructure for existing therapeutic courts in Alaska, which include addiction, co-occurring, and veterans courts. Primary activities will include the formation of a statewide advisory committee; development of statewide standards; resolving findings from the driving under the influence and/or Drug Court external evaluation while applying lessons learned to all therapeutic courts; and continuing team training on best practices. Statewide infrastructure will provide a permanent foundation for therapeutic court operations, will enhance the performance of therapeutic courts, and will promote stakeholder and public support. Beneficiaries of the projects will be current and future participants in therapeutic courts, and the community at large as addicted offenders successfully complete therapeutic courts and remain sober and productive citizens. Alaska’s therapeutic courts are post-plea, pre-sentence treatment courts. The target population varies according to the type of court but in general, eligibility criteria are aimed at addicted offenders with high criminogenic risk and high treatment needs.