Social and Criminal Justice Outcomes in Delaware’s Behavioral Health System

• In Event: Impact of Criminal Legal System Involvement on Drug Use and Other Health Outcomes

Abstract

In both research and practice, greater attention is being paid to the relationship between substance use and mental health conditions, and interaction with the criminal justice system. As a result, the State of Delaware has engaged in efforts to ensure that justice-involved people receive the mental health, substance use, and recovery support services they need. This study focuses on individuals who receive publicly funded services from the Delaware Division of Substance Use and Mental Health (DSAMH) that entered the continuum of care from justice system involvement. Using client-level data collected for submission to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) database, we examine how a client’s justice system involvement (e.g. being on probation, or having recent arrests, pre-admission to incarceration) influences client outcomes such as safe and stable housing, abstinence from substance use (if applicable), and re-arrest. This analysis will be used to provide recommendations around how treatment systems can improve their services for justice-involved populations.

Authors

• David Borton, University of Delaware

• Amy Herb, Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health

• Megan Stevens, University of Delaware