For Drug Treatment Courts to Effectively Combat the Opioid Crisis, Program Must be Coupled with Investments in Long-Term Substance Abuse Treatment, Education, and Prevention Options upon Completion
 
Courts Need to Provide Greater Transparency in Order to Accurately Measure Their Effectiveness

Albany, NY — The first report from the Rockefeller Institute of Government’s Center for Law & Policy Solutions examines specialized drug treatment courts in New York State with a focus on their effectiveness in combating the state’s growing opioid epidemic. 

The report analyzes adult drug courts in New York’s 3rd Judicial District, which covers Albany, Rensselaer, Schoharie, Greene, Columbia, Ulster, and Sullivan counties. The authors examine the history, operations, and outcomes of the courts through interviews with public defenders, district attorneys, former drug court participants, treatment providers, and other community members who have interacted with the courts. They find that while drug courts hold promise for diverting participants from jail into treatment, they must work in concert with comprehensive public health improvements in order to effectively address the opioid crisis.
 
“As this report shows, drug treatment courts could be an important tool for combating the opioid crisis if paired with strategic investments in other treatment, education, and prevention programs,” said Rockefeller Institute President Jim Malatras. “I’d like to thank Katie Zuber, executive director of the Center for Law & Policy Solutions, for overseeing this project, and the University at Albany research interns who authored the report for this important and insightful study.”
 
The report’s policy recommendations include:

+ Increase data transparency to allow researchers to measure the effectiveness of drug courts.
+ Expand access to drug treatment courts to more potential participants.
+ Have policymakers invest resources geared toward long-term substance abuse treatment upon completion of drug court programs.
+ Develop community-based harm reduction interventions.

The report was written by Center for Law & Policy Solutions research interns Prijenett Flores, Joel Lopez, Giliean Pemble-Flood, Hannah Riegel, and Maria Segura.
 
The Center for Law & Policy Solutions at the Rockefeller Institute of Government launched in March 2018 in partnership with the Government Law Center at Albany Law School, the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs at the University at Albany, and the University at Buffalo School of Law. Diving into a single topic at a time, it examines how ordinary people and communities are affected by law and policy to help policymakers, community organizers, and the public develop practical solutions to pressing public policy issues.
 
Read the full report.