Washington — The U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) Office of Justice Programs’ (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS’) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded nearly $76 million in Fiscal Year 2010 grants to enhance the court services, coordination, and substance abuse treatment capacity of adult and juvenile drug treatment courts. Drug courts promote treatment approaches rather than traditional incarceration for people drawn into the criminal justice system because of substance abuse related problems.
There are more than 2,200 drug court programs currently providing services to adults and juveniles across the nation. In judicially supervised settings, these specialized courts effectively integrate substance abuse treatment, mandatory drug testing, sanctions and incentives, and support services needed to recover and steer clear of further involvement with the juvenile and criminal justice system.
“We know that drug courts are central to reducing drug abuse and to keeping communities safe. These grants will help communities launch new drug courts and enhance courts where they already exist,” said Laurie O. Robinson, OJP’s Assistant Attorney General. “Our National Institute of Justice recently released preliminary findings from its five-year, multi-site evaluation of adult drug courts. The early analysis shows that after 6 months, and again after 18 months, drug court participants reported less drug-related and criminal activity.”
“SAMHSA and DOJ are committed to building on the success of treatment drug courts by bolstering their ability to provide essential alcohol and drug treatment, recovery support, screening, assessment, case management, and program coordination services to thousands of people working to free themselves from lives of substance abuse and crime,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D. “These efforts are critically important since more than 60 percent of all people in state and federal prisons and local jails have substance abuse problems. By effectively addressing these substance abuse problems our nation can significantly reduce crime, lessen the burden on the criminal justice system and restore countless lives.”
For information about the specific grants, see the complete press release at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/newsroom/pressreleases/2010/OJP10145.htm.
For information about OJJDP’s FY 2010 awards, visit www.ojjdp.gov/funding/fy10awards.html.