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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]

People experiencing homelessness are at increased risk of exposure to traumatic events, and face higher rates of suicidal ideation, traumatic brain injury, domestic violence, and sexual assault than the general population. As a result of this trauma prevalence among homeless populations, it is important that human service organizations (HSOs) integrate trauma-informed care (TIC) principles into their service delivery systems. Many HSOs who serve people experiencing homelessness, however, struggle to fully translate TIC principles into administrative practices that are felt as positive at the client level of care. This case study was conducted with focus groups of people experiencing homelessness (n = 13) to investigate the consequences of administrative practice decisions on participants' perceptions of powerlessness and the quality of care they receive from service delivery systems. Study participants repeatedly described their trauma and sense of powerlessness both while experiencing homelessness and while receiving services. Participants' discussion of the service delivery system's staff, policies, processes, and procedures hinged on whether and how they found these service delivery components to make them feel powerless and confused, or not. Study results point towards specific recommendations for how homelessness HSOs ought to implement TIC principles into the homelessness HSO service delivery context, with an emphasis on reducing clients' perceptions of powerlessness within service delivery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug courts have been part of the criminal justice system for over 30 years. A plethora of quantitative quasi-experimental, experimental, and meta-analytic studies have demonstrated their effectiveness at promoting recovery from substance use disorders and reducing criminal recidivism. Qualitative studies, however, are less common and little is known about specific populations that drug courts serve, such as women. To our knowledge, this is the first qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis (QIMS) of women's experiences in drug court (n = 79). The QIMS resulted in four new, overarching themes related to (1) receiving praise, compassion and encouragement from the judge and counseling staff; (2) promotion of parenting skills and improvement of mother-child relationships; (3) receiving gender-specific services addressing co-occurring mental health and trauma issues; and (4) continuous performance monitoring, including drug testing, which held participants accountable for their conduct while promoting gradual development of intrinsic motivation for change. Implications for drug court practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Police violence in the USA disproportionately impacts black Americans. However, most research exploring minority experiences assumes black ethnicity is monolithic and therefore elides experiences of African immigrants to the USA—a growing subpopulation. This interpretative phenomenological analytic study sought to capture and understand the views of African diasporans in the USA of police violence through open-ended interviews with ten adult participants. We used critical race theory as the primary conceptual lens and found four themes: otherness, perception of police, civic engagement and systemic racism. The results offer a counter-narrative that complicates normative categorisation of race in the USA. This work offers activists and social work practitioners a more nuanced understanding of racialised identity, and the concomitant vulnerabilities and resiliencies of African diasporans in the USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth experience increased surveillance by and involuntary contact with police officers compared with other age groups. Studies that explore the experiences of youth during these encounters are scant and focus on youth with criminal histories. This research aims to explore the experiences of college-attending youth between 18 and 24 years old in two southern states. The study was designed and conducted according to the tenets of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Twelve Black youth were recruited and interviewed between April 2015 and April 2016. Three superordinate themes (and subthemes) were identified: (1) negative feelings towards the police; (2) precarity of police encounters (subthemes: police as a threat to welfare; it could be me; steps to follow during police encounters; behavior is irrelevant) and; (3) police response is part of structural racism (subthemes: racism is everywhere; media contributes to racism). The importance of these findings for social work practice and research will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caring for an ill family member has been perceived as a chronic stressor. Huntington's disease (HD) is a chronic neurodegenerative condition lasting up to thirty years, having a powerful impact on families, particularly carers who live with the fear of familial prevalence and genetic transmission. Previous studies have primarily focused on disease management; however, some qualitative studies have concentrated on experiences of family carers. The purpose of this Qualitative Interpretive Meta-Synthesis was to synthesise qualitative studies to explore experiences of family carers of individuals with HD. Purposive sampling was used to select relevant studies. The twelve studies for this Qualitative Interpretive Meta-Synthesis (QIMS) represent experiences of 247carers. Analysis identified five themes: (i) struggles; (ii) impact on carer's life; (iii) worries; (iv) change in relationship with care-recipient; and (v) social support. Two studies focused on teens; some of their experiences are unique and thus discussed separately from the themes. Findings suggest that there are similarities with carers of other diseases; however, HD may need to be considered individually because of its unique impact on the family system related to genetic transmission to one's children. Living with this fear can be daunting, heavily influencing decision making and perspectives of most family members, particularly the carer. [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]

Recent deaths by police of unarmed minority youth have raised important questions about the nature and outcomes of involuntary minority youth-police encounters. Youth are the most surveilled group of Americans and minority youth frequently live in neighborhoods disproportionately targeted for proactive policing (i.e., using broad police discretion to 'target' those most likely to be engaged in criminal activity before criminal acts become apparent). Understanding the experiences of minority youth who encounter police officers is of critical concern for social workers in many practice and research areas. Social workers must examine how a minority person's perceptions are formed through repeated, frequent, involuntary encounters with the police. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis was to capture these experiences through the voices of minority youth in recounting their contacts with the police. Four themes were identified: dangerous, controlling, prejudiced, and ineffective. Further reduction of these themes resulted in an overarching theme that captures the essences of these youth's experiences: dehumanization. These results enhance understanding of minority youth experience with police officers and, thus, inform social work advocacy efforts around this issue in both practice and research arenas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seriously mentally ill people are a 'revolving-door' population in criminal justice systems where they cycle in and out of courts and jails. In response and consonant with the principles of therapeutic jurisprudence, mental health courts (MHCs) have flourished in North America and Western Europe in attempts to divert this population away from jail and provision them with the social services they require to avoid legal contact. Little research has focused on the perspective of the accused in MHCs and there has been little information about which aspects of the court and diversion processes contribute to therapeutic processes in MHCs. This qualitative study reports the experiences of nine successful graduates of a Canadian MHC. The data were analysed according to the principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis. The marginality of the accused and their liminal experiences in mental health court diversion are discussed. Social workers have a role to play in the success of clients in diversion and the results of this study may influence service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]