The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #74152

Mary F. Brolin, MA, Health and Addictions Research, Inc., 100 Boylston Street, Suite 300, Boston, MA 02116, 617-266-9219 ext. 117, mbrolin@har.org, Neil Gaer, MPA, CADC, Phoenix Houses New England, 15 Mulberry Street, Springfield, MA 01105, and Raymond V. Tamasi, Gosnold on Cape Cod, 200 Ter Heun Drive, P.O. Box 929, Falmouth, MA 02541.

Increasingly, communities are creating drug courts to deal with the growing numbers of court-involved substance abusers. Implementing a drug court requires combined efforts across probation and parole systems, the courts, and substance abuse treatment programs for a successful system. As drug courts proliferate and applications of the model expand to include adolescents, it is important to understand how drug courts operate, for both adolescents and adults. Findings on implementation issues, service needs, and evaluation considerations will be presented from two ongoing evaluations, one of an adolescent drug court, the other of a drug court for adults. Data were collected via clinical assessments and qualitative in-depth interviews with participants and key informants at the Hampden County Juvenile Drug Court in Springfield, Massachusetts and the Barnstable Action for New Directions adult treatment drug court on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Preliminary findings indicate a need for intensive case management services and strategies for involving families with adolescents. The adult drug court implementation has highlighted a need for specialized services such as trauma groups.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this session, the participant (learner) will be able to:
• Describe implementation issues for adolescents and adults for new drug courts.
• Identify the service needs of these populations and some of the underlying causes that need to be considered in designing drug courts.

Keywords: Substance Abuse Treatment, Treatment Outcomes

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.