Queens Treatment Court

The Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program is designed to assist states, state courts, local courts, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments in developing and establishing drug courts for substance-abusing adult and juvenile offenders. Drug court programs funded by the Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program are required by law to target nonviolent offenders. The program supports the following activities: adult drug court implementation, single jurisdiction drug court enhancement, statewide drug court enhancement, and planning efforts.

The Queens Treatment Court will utilize fiscal year 2009 Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program funding to support the salary of a vocational coordinator tasked with enhancing participant vocation and education services. In addition, the coordinator will ensure participants receive services that meet their individual needs, while satisfying the requirements set forth by the court in a timely manner. Currently, some participants remain under court supervision longer than anticipated because of delays in service delivery. It is believed that a participant's return to the criminal justice system will significantly decrease if addictions are treated and skills needed to succeed in the work force are provided. An outcome evaluation will be conducted, with data including intake characteristics of program participants, time reaching vocation/education services, and graduation time in relation to court mandates. Comparisons of intake and longitudinal course characteristics will be compared for participants who successfully graduate and those who are terminated from the program. This will aid in identifying when more intensive services are needed, and in determining whether protocols should be modified.

CA/NCF