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Archive: April 2021

Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Focuses on Services and Treatment Over Arrest

April 15, 2021

By De’Ja Wood

Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) is a community-based diversion program with the goal of reimagining public safety by decriminalizing drug abuse. Within LEAD, officers reduce unnecessary justice involvement for those struggling with substance use by connecting people … Continue Reading →

Emerging Health Model Proving Effective at Reducing Convictions, Jail Time

March 24, 2021

By Annie Han

Prisoners with mental health issues are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system, with over 37% in state or federal prisons diagnosed with mental illness. Their health and behavioral needs are often untreated, or they do not … Continue Reading →

Dr. Allison Robertson Discusses Medication-Assisted Treatment Research Successes, Challenges

September 29, 2020

There is strong evidence to show the effectiveness of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with justice-involved individuals but still a number of barriers in place to implementing it, according to Dr. Allison Robertson, a member of the Behavioral Health Core at the … Continue Reading →

Upcoming SAMHSA Webinar Offers Advice for Drug Treatment Courts During Pandemic

August 13, 2020

There are currently 59 recovery courts in 32 counties in North Carolina, and thousands more across the nation designed to help criminal defendants who have alcohol and other substance use disorders. Many of those courts have been successfully using teleservices … Continue Reading →