SRMT Tribal Healing to Wellness 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 St. Regis Mohawk Tribe (SRMT) will use FY09 Adult Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program funding to further develop and implement the SRMT Tribal Healing to Wellness Court (THWC). SRMT aims to provide participants with tribally competent wrap around services that includes holistic, structured, and phased substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation that incorporates appropriate culture and traditions through partnerships with the SRMT Department of Social Services, Substance Abuse Services, Mental Health, and Police. Like other drug court models, the SRMT THWC will be a one-year program with multiple graduated treatment phases. Post-graduation services will include life skills and parenting. Processes to certify services and service providers that are aware of tribal practices will be developed. Through the course of the grant, the salaries of a new coordinator and a caseworker who will provide monitoring services, drug test administration, and develop treatment plans will be supported. It is anticipated that a majority of program participants will be from the St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reservation.

CA/NCF