A Legal-medical Collaboration to Support Health Among Drug Treatment Court Women Participants

• In Event: Drug Courts and Specialized Treatment Courts

Abstract

Evidence shows that women drug court participants are at increased risk of physical and mental health conditions yet are undertreated both during incarceration and upon release. Under-treatment is related to the women’s lived experiences, including violence across the life span coupled with socioeconomic disadvantages. These risks contribute to recidivism and inadequate healthcare. While drug treatment courts show promise in improving recidivism and substance use, they usually prioritize partnerships with physical healthcare providers. The Women’s Initiative Supporting Health (WISH) project provides trauma-specific motivational interventions to help justice-involved women address their physical and mental health needs. We will describe a community-based participatory research project venued at a county drug court to assess intervention outcomes. The interdisciplinary team including court professionals, academic researchers, and formerly incarcerated women endorsed high ethical standards that required attention to avoiding coercion, protecting confidentiality, and not interfering with substance use disorder treatment. Simultaneously, the WISH team builds upon the motivation engendered by sobriety to decrease incarceration and through case management improve healthcare access. We present the findings from focus groups with court, district attorney, and public defender representation to insure that priorities were met. We will describe barriers and facilitators to this unique legal-medical collaboration.

Authors

• Diane Morse, University of Rochester School of Medicine

• Precious Bedell, University of Rochester School of Medicine

• John E Elliott, Rochester Drug Treatment Court

• Kimberly VanCamp, Monroe Supreme and County Court

• Catherine Cerulli, University of Rochester School of Medicine