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This qualitative study explores three important and understudied areas of drug court research (e.g., women, opioid use disorder, and medication-assisted treatment [MAT]). The research question for this study is: What are women's thoughts, opinions, and experiences in drug court, in regard to the quality of treatment they received for their opioid use disorders and to the use of MAT in drug court programming to treat opioid use disorders? To answer the research question, data from female drug court participants (n = 14) were collected through a focus group methodology. Four themes emerged from the analysis: (1) Women had more positive views toward the use of extended-release injectable naltrexone, as compared to methadone and buprenorphine; (2) Women reported fears about using MAT to treat their opioid use disorders because they felt it could negatively impact their housing, where they were able to receive substance use disorder and mental health treatment, and their ability to maintain custody of their children; (3) Women reported histories of oppression, mainly trauma, and shared that, in some situations, they were not comfortable disclosing they were using or considering using MAT because of further oppressions they may experience; and (4) Women reported that the use of a non-adversarial approach by the judge, consistent with key component two of the drug court model, helped minimize their concerns related to the use of MAT and gave them a safe place during status hearings to discuss their opioid use disorder treatment and recovery. Implications for drug court practice and criminal justice reform are discussed, such as promoting access to housing and treatment for women who use MAT to treat their opioid use disorders and creating safe, anti-oppressive environments to promote recovery for female participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug courts are an alternative to incarceration for individuals who have substance use disorders. The drug court model is guided by key interventions (e.g., required treatment, frequent status hearings with a judge, continuous drug testing, prosecutors and defense attorneys collaborating in a non-adversarial manner) that are designed to promote recovery and wellbeing, as compared to traditional, punitive approaches to criminal justice. Evidence suggests that, in some drug courts, African Americans may graduate less, compared to their white counterparts. This is alarming because graduating drug court has consistently been a predictor of participants not being rearrested following participation in the program. This study predicted graduation and criminal recidivism outcomes for a drug court that primarily serves African Americans. The focus of the research is to inform drug courts about best practices in treating and retaining African American participants. Females, participants who were employed or were students, those whose drug of choice was marijuana, and participants with no criminal history were most likely to graduate. Participants with a criminal history and those who were terminated from drug court were most likely to recidivate. Implications for drug court practice are discussed, particularly in regards to enhancing resources for employment and the need to develop evidence-based treatments for African American drug court participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant literature has demonstrated connections between workplace environment and worker stress, as well as between worker stress and direct service provision. Current research on direct service provision to people experiencing homelessness, however, has not established a clear association between the workplace environment and the quality of direct services provided to clients receiving case management. This study extends the existing research by establishing connections between all of these constructs, specifically within the context of case management services to people experiencing homelessness. For this mixed methods study, the authors sampled 16 case managers providing direct services to people experiencing homelessness in one homelessness services organization (HSO) in a large metropolitan area. Through focus group interviews and web-based surveys, the authors collected data on the workplace environment, worker stress, and direct service provision. The authors then analyzed the data using a concurrent nested approach for mixed methods analysis. The results of this study suggest that case managers in homelessness HSOs often experience a stressful workplace environment due to workplace cultural norms, inefficient processes, and high expectations placed upon them by both clients and administrators. The stressful workplace environment can interact with client trauma to produce secondary traumatic stress in direct service providers, which then influences client-case manager rapport development. Study findings point toward specific policies and practices that homelessness HSOs ought to adopt in order to mitigate case managers' workplace stress and secondary traumatic stress, and negative influences of these stressors on rapport development between case managers and clients experiencing homelessness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug courts are an alternative to incarceration for individuals who have substance use disorders and nonviolent arrests, and these programs can be an avenue to recovery for those who have opioid use disorders. This qualitative study used a focus group methodology to explore drug court team members' thoughts, opinions, and lived experiences related to how the program treats opioid use disorders and the role of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in programming. The drug court team had favorable views toward MAT and reported that participants who received MAT experienced many positive outcomes. Additionally, members of the drug court team often had to educate participants on MAT, as some participants had inaccurate information and beliefs about MAT that were based on myths. The drug court team also candidly discussed their paradigm shift from not allowing MAT to incorporating MAT into programming. Implications for drug court practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education is an important pathway to safety for survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Recent work documents tactics of school sabotage (behaviors aimed at sabotaging educational efforts) identified by school staff and IPV advocates. However, the perspectives of current students who are IPV survivors are unexplored. As part of a multiphasic study, 20 semi-structured qualitative interviews with community college students who reported current or recent IPV were conducted. Identified tactics included disrupting child care, emotional abuse tied to school, and using manipulation to limit access to campus or resources. Identified impacts include preventing focus, diminished academic achievement, emotional or mental health challenges, and instilling a desire to overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug courts continue to expand throughout the United States; however, little is known about participants' lived experiences in the program, particularly as it relates to the key components of the drug court model. Fifteen participants of the Monroe County (Indiana) drug court completed surveys where they answered five open-ended questions related to key components of the drug court model. Participants reported mixed feelings related to the quality of counseling they received, and some felt that their individualized treatment needs were not being met. Overall, participants viewed the drug court team as supportive, and they felt that praise from the judge was one of the most helpful incentives they received. Some participants noted that the frequent and random drug testing system deterred them from using drugs and resulted in positive, cognitive changes that supported their recovery. The most common challenges associated with frequent and random drug testing were that some participants thought that it was too expensive and time-consuming which they felt could delay their progress in the program, or even their graduation. The findings are discussed in reference to drug court practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1989, drug courts have provided an alternative to incarceration for arrestees who have a substance use disorder. Previous research has suggested that participants who graduate from the program are less likely to recidivate than those who are terminated from the program. The majority of research on drug courts is quantitative; therefore, the benefits of qualitative methods are not fully seen in the literature. This qualitative study developed an in-depth understanding of participants’ (n = 42) views on the strengths and limitations of a Midwestern drug court. Two themes emerged from the data. First, participants felt that the drug court promoted camaraderie, which enhanced their motivation for change and supported them in graduating from the program. Second, participants felt that the drug court did not adequately treat their mental illnesses, which for some resulted in relapse and was perceived as a barrier to graduating from the program. Recommendations for drug court practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Veterans treatment courts (VTCs) are designed to offer a rehabilitative approach to criminal justice, focusing on treatment for mental health and substance use disorders. This qualitative study develops an in-depth understanding of a Midwestern VTC by asking participants (n = 15) their views on the most helpful aspects of the program and how the program could be more helpful. Three themes emerged from the data. 1) Military veterans felt that they were treated in a compassionate and caring manner, while also being held accountable for their behaviors. 2) Military veterans felt that they were not labeled by their mental health diagnoses, but that their identities as people and military veterans were more fully recognized. 3) Military veterans were dissatisfied with some of the services they received from the local VA. These findings are discussed in the context of problem-solving courts and military veterans’ experiences of services. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Drug courts are guided by 10 key components that help ensure fidelity to the treatment model and guide practitioners in effectively treating substance use disorders in criminal justice settings. This qualitative study assessed the effectiveness of certain key components, such as the quality of substance abuse treatment and the importance of frequent contact with the judge, by interviewing drug court participants (N =41). Participants felt that the substance abuse counseling they received could have been improved by offering more individual counseling and by developing a trustworthy therapeutic relationship among the drug court team, participants, and substance abuse counselors. Having frequent contact with the judge and the random drug testing system were viewed as effective interventions in assisting participants with being successful in the program, with the ultimate goal of graduating drug court. Implications for drug court practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug courts have been used in the criminal justice system to treat substance use disorders since 1989. This study evaluates a drug court in Indiana, focusing specifically on the most predictive variables for being terminated from the program and comparing recidivism patterns of drug court and probation participants. Participants were most likely to be terminated from drug court if they did not have a high school diploma or equivalent at admission, were not employed or a student at admission, identified cocaine as a drug of choice, had more positive drug tests, had a violation within the first 30 days of the program, and had a criminal history. Additional findings suggest that drug court is more effective than probation at reducing criminal recidivism rates for offenders with substance use disorders. Implications for drug court practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]