Justice Speaks Podcast #93

In this episode, Justice Speaks turns its focus to the national infrastructure supporting treatment courts across the United States. The podcast features Dr. Kristen DeVall, Professor of Sociology and Criminology at University of North Carolina Wilmington and Co Director of the National Treatment Court Resource Center (NTCRC). Dr. DeVall discusses the Center’s role in connecting research, data, and practice to strengthen treatment courts nationwide and reflects on its evolution from a drug court focused initiative into a comprehensive resource for all treatment courts. This episode is sponsored by Reconnect.

About Dr. Kristen DeVall and the National Treatment Court Resource Center

The interview begins with Dr. DeVall’s professional background and her early engagement with treatment courts, including formative evaluation and partnership work in Michigan and North Carolina. She describes how hands on collaboration with courts shaped her academic focus and reinforced the importance of grounding treatment court policy in empirical evidence and practical experience. She also reflects on her early work with Judge William Schma, noting that the experience provided a practical foundation for understanding how treatment court principles operate in real courtrooms.

Dr. DeVall then outlines the history and mission of the NTCRC, which was established in 2009 with funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. She explains that the Center was designed as a virtual hub for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers, providing accessible tools that courts can use to improve operations, communicate their value, and remain aligned with evidence-based practices.

Tools That Translate Treatment Court Data Into Practice

The conversation turns to the Center’s core resources, including its interactive national treatment court map, role specific guidance for court team members, and marketing and communication tools designed to help courts explain their work to stakeholders and the public. Dr. DeVall also discusses the Center’s grant related resources, noting that while the NTCRC does not write grants directly, it plays a critical role in building capacity through workshops, webinars, and guidance offered in collaboration with national partners.

The discussion then focuses on the Center’s publications, particularly the biennial Painting the Current Picture survey and the annual national treatment court count. Dr. DeVall explains how these data products provide a reliable snapshot of treatment court growth, funding patterns, program design, and participant demographics, and why consistent treatment court data collection has positioned these courts as leaders in data driven justice innovation.

Sustaining Treatment Courts Through Reliable Data and Collaboration

She also highlights the Center’s broader contributions to the field, including peer reviewed publications, monographs addressing trauma and connection, and its podcast Justice to Healing. Dr. DeVall emphasizes the importance of collaboration through the national training and technical assistance ecosystem, including partnerships with organizations such as All Rise, and The Center for Justice Innovation and reflects on the challenge of balancing expanding demand with limited time and resources.

Dr. DeVall then explains that systematic treatment court data collection is essential not only for program evaluation, but for credibility, sustainability, and continuous improvement. She notes that treatment courts were among the first court models to embrace routine data reporting, using it to inform decision making, demonstrate outcomes to funders, and identify disparities or gaps in service. The conversation underscores that reliable data allows courts to move beyond anecdote, supports transparency, and strengthens the case for evidence-based policy at the local, state, and national levels.

Justice Speaks thanks Dr. DeVall for sharing her insights on the research, data, and collaboration shaping the future of treatment courts, and thanks Reconnect for sponsoring this episode.