Substance Abuse/Drugs

During COVID-19 it has been challenging to connect people with appropriate medical care, especially incarcerated and recently released individuals. The rise in telehealth services can help address this problem and can be a cost-efficient and effective way to provide care.

Join the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program for their webinar “Becoming Trauma Informed and Moving to Trauma Responsive” on Wednesday, March 31 at 2:00–3:15 p.m. ET. Part two of a three-part series, this webinar will address ways that correctional and behavioral health professionals can address the complex issue of trauma in a way that moves from trauma informed to trauma responsive.

Join the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP) for the “COSSAP Webinar: Becoming Trauma Informed: Understanding the ACE Study Part 1 of 3)” at 2:00–3:15 p.m. ET. See their description below:

“This webinar will raise awareness of the complex needs of men and women involved in the criminal justice system through an in-depth discussion.

Join the Bureau of Justice Assistance, RTI, and the Police Executive Research Forum for their two-day virtual event “Public Safety and Public Health Partnerships to Address Stimulants” on March 11–12, 2021 at 12:00–4:30 p.m. ET each day. The schedule will include a discussion on “The Scope and Science of an Epidemic,” three panels titled “Police-led Initiatives,” “Policy Efforts,” and “Community Relations,” and moderated Q&A each day.

Substance abuse diversion programs can help law enforcement and other first responders to direct individuals who have overdosed toward community-based behavioral health services and away from the criminal justice system.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Justice Mental Health Collaboration Program is designed to improve outcomes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), mental illness, or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse who come into contact with the justice system. Part of that involves Police-Mental Health Collaboration (PMHC) programs.

During this webinar, attendees will learn how jail facilities can use the Telehealth Implementation Support Tool to understand the various protocols, policies, technologies, and types of staff that will need to be in place to facilitate the implementation of telehealth.

Courts can have a positive impact on families affected by the opioid crisis, but traditionally that role has been reactive, occurring after a dependency petition is filed. Increasing reports of maltreatment due to substance use disorders in conjunction with more children entering an overburdened foster care system can produce poor outcomes for children and families. Serving the needs of children and families affected by substance use and misuse can be proactive.

Treatment courts implement community-based treatment and rigorous monitoring to help individuals and to reduce recidivism and incarceration. To help establish treatment courts, the Center for Court Innovation, which developed New York City’s first drug court and New York’s first mental health court, manage the program Treatment Courts Online, The National Training System for Treatment Court Practitioners (treatmentcourts.org).

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (sometimes known as I/DD) are an often overlooked population in the criminal justice system because of a lack of identification, understanding, and service gaps that prevent providers’ abilities to address their needs. Criminal justice professionals looking to effectively divert people in this population from the justice system can look to this webinar for strategies and tips on diversion, with an additional focus on people who have co-occurring I/DD, substance use disorders, and mental illnesses.