Procedural Justice / Fairness
Procedural Justice, also known as Procedural Fairness, refers to the perceived fairness of court proceedings. Those who come in contact with the court form perceptions of fairness from the proceedings, from the surroundings, and from the treatment people get. Find out how Procedural Justice can be applied in your courtroom, This session will bring awareness and understanding of its importance in the courtroom and action steps to successfully bringing Procedural Justice into the court.
Procedural Justice / Fairness, is a subjective evaluation of a person’s experience in the justice system and is separate from the actual outcome of the case. While the result is important, an individual’s willingness to accept court decisions is rooted in the perceptions of how they were treated during the process itself. Thus, Procedural Justice / Fairness is a critical component of understanding how the public interprets their experience with the court system and how individuals translate that experience into a subjective valuation of the court system as whole. When the experience is a positive one from the perspective of Procedural Justice / Fairness, trust and confidence in the judiciary is increased.
Those individuals who develop substance use disorders are also diagnosed with mental health disorders. Treatment and understanding of this subpopulation can be attained by clinical or systems-related interventions. One of the ways of intervening at the systems level is to provide wrap around services for those who struggle with mental health issues. At a clinical level it is necessary to have an understanding on how to treat substance use disorder and co-occurring disorders simultaneously. This presentation will provide a better understanding of how mental health and substance use link together and how to best treat this population so that they can achieve recovery.
Supervision / Probation and Case Management
Every probation and parole officer must be proficient with the basics of alcohol testing in order to successfully supervise a probationer who suffers from alcohol use disorder. Good testing procedures ensure that test results will be admissible in a probation violation/termination hearing. In this session, the focus will be on the fundamentals and standards of alcohol testing and other important technologies that can be useful in supervising those individuals.
All treatment courts are composed of multidisciplinary teams working towards a common goal with justice-involved individuals with behavioral health issues. In most cases, the teams have more than one discipline that has a role requiring some form of a case plan, most commonly, supervision and treatment. Supervision may have a supervision plan with specific goals; treatment will have a treatment plan designed to help the participant reach clinical goals. Without well-coordinated plans, and collaboration in the effort to monitor the plans, there is a risk the participant may be confused, face redundancy, and be overwhelmed. Additionally, a lack of coordination and collaboration can cause tension, friction and “mission creep” within the team. Attendees will learn how to create a comprehensive case plan that addresses both criminogenic and clinical areas, and how to work together in employing the principles of case management in support of the participant’s recovery.
Mentors are a key element in the successes of a Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) program. Data collection and analysis can be time consuming and costly. This presentation will recognize the possible contributions of peer mentors to a VTC/VDC. Information will be shared regarding the importance of surveying your peer mentors, along with how to collect data from peer mentors and mentees throughout each phase of the program. Examples of non-exhaustive quantitative and qualitative questions for a peer mentor survey will be provided.
After more than 33 years of operation research on problem solving courts shows they can be effective at reducing recidivism among justice involved populations most likely to be arrested and who have behavior health issues. Prior and concurrent research on individuals with frequent contact in the justice system lead to the development of the Risk Need Responsively or RNR model. Principles of the RNR model provide instruction on how to intervene with the justice involved to improve outcomes. This session will describe how the principles of the RNR model can be incorporated into the operation of problem-solving courts to change behavior and reduce recidivism among problem solving court populations.
Motivational Interviewing and how it can be used by all recovery court team members to enhance behavior change. This session will explore the application as a part of engagement, building a rapport and implementing a case plan to pursue behavioral change.
The lack of safe drug-free housing for persons suffering from substance use disorders (SUD) while in Treatment Courts is a major barrier to their recovery. While Treatment Courts provide several hours of treatment and oversight each week, the bulk of many participants' time is often spent living in the same drug using subculture that gave rise to their SUD. Treatment Courts in cooperation with the state housing development authority can develop recovery housing communities to provide safe and sober housing for their participants. Housing can include on-site treatment recovery services along with other services. An example of this is Andy's Place, a fifty-unit development, located in Jackson Michigan.
Treatment Courts
Problems Solving Courts modify the role of judges and lawyers that work within them. Judges, must navigate a collaborative decision-making team role. Prosecutors and defense advocates must pull back from their traditional adversarial role and learn to cooperate to enable a participant’s recovery. These and other changes in the professional roles of lawyers and judges are crucial to the problems solving court but gives rise to serious ethical questions. How can one be a good lawyer or judge in the problem-solving court context?
All treatment courts are composed of multidisciplinary teams working towards a common goal with justice-involved individuals with behavioral health issues. In most cases, the teams have more than one discipline that has a role requiring some form of a case plan, most commonly, supervision and treatment. Supervision may have a supervision plan with specific goals; treatment will have a treatment plan designed to help the participant reach clinical goals. Without well-coordinated plans, and collaboration in the effort to monitor the plans, there is a risk the participant may be confused, face redundancy, and be overwhelmed. Additionally, a lack of coordination and collaboration can cause tension, friction and “mission creep” within the team. Attendees will learn how to create a comprehensive case plan that addresses both criminogenic and clinical areas, and how to work together in employing the principles of case management in support of the participant’s recovery.
Those individuals who develop substance use disorders are also diagnosed with mental health disorders. Treatment and understanding of this subpopulation can be attained by clinical or systems-related interventions. One of the ways of intervening at the systems level is to provide wrap around services for those who struggle with mental health issues. At a clinical level it is necessary to have an understanding on how to treat substance use disorder and co-occurring disorders simultaneously. This presentation will provide a better understanding of how mental health and substance use link together and how to best treat this population so that they can achieve recovery.
This session will focus on procedural fairness in creating a trauma informed courtroom. Specifically, it will include practical suggestions using the concept of procedural fairness for the courtroom personnel who are trauma informed.
Motivational Interviewing and how it can be used by all recovery court team members to enhance behavior change. This session will explore the application as a part of engagement, building a rapport and implementing a case plan to pursue behavioral change.
Every probation and parole officer must be proficient with the basics of alcohol testing in order to successfully supervise a probationer who suffers from alcohol use disorder. Good testing procedures ensure that test results will be admissible in a probation violation/termination hearing. In this session, the focus will be on the fundamentals and standards of alcohol testing and other important technologies that can be useful in supervising those individuals.
This session focuses on the various members on a Treatment Court team and the importance of collaboration among those members. Specific topics include evidence based best practices for team composition, evidence based roles of team members, participation in staffing meetings and review hearings, and communication and decision- making. The role of the judge is discussed in additional detail. Various members of the team work to ensure participants’ due process rights are protected; best practices regarding due process are discussed.
Procedural Justice, is a subjective evaluation of a person’s experience in the justice system and is separate from the actual outcome of the case. While the result is important, an individual’s willingness to accept court decisions is rooted in the perceptions of how they were treated during the process itself. Thus, Procedural Justice / Fairness is a critical component of understanding how the public interprets their experience with the court system and how individuals translate that experience into a subjective valuation of the court system as whole. When the experience is a positive one from the perspective of Procedural Justice / Fairness, trust and confidence in the judiciary is increased.
This training will cover the fundamentals of the operation of a Treatment Court. The dynamics of interdisciplinary teams will be addressed, including identifying the disciplines that typically make up a treatment court, and the specific role for each person. The training will provide instruction on the type of information that should be shared between team members. Barriers to effective team functioning will be addressed, along with strategies to overcome them. Instructions for conducting efficient and productive team staffing will also be included. Suggestions for information to be included in a program’s policy/procedure manual will be provided.
This team training will cover the fundamentals team operation. The dynamics of interdisciplinary teams will be addressed, including identifying the disciplines that typically make up a team, and the specific role of each member. The training will provide instruction on the type of information that should be shared between team members. Barriers to effective team functioning will be addressed and along with strategies to overcome them.
How does MAT work? The pharmacology of substance use dependency including the chemical impact of substance use on the brain. Starting with a presentation provided by an experienced MAT/Treatment specialist providing context and relevancy for the participants. This will be followed by an open question and answer period facilitated by a judge on the topic.
Family Treatment Courts (FTC) serve children, parents and families due to a parent’s Substance Abuse Disorder (SUD). Between 60 to 80 per cent of substantiated cases involve substance abuse by a custodial parent with that result in abuse and neglect. These problem-solving courts operate in collaboration with community partners to address the needs and strengths of the families. There are approximately 500 FTCs nationwide. Newer models of FTCs work with without a petition to the court or removal of a child.
The lack of safe drug-free housing for persons suffering from substance use disorders (SUD) while in Treatment Courts is a major barrier to their recovery. While Treatment Courts provide several hours of treatment and oversight each week, the bulk of many participants' time is often spent living in the same drug using subculture that gave rise to their SUD. Treatment Courts in cooperation with the state housing development authority can develop recovery housing communities to provide safe and sober housing for their participants. Housing can include on-site treatment recovery services along with other services. An example of this is Andy's Place, a fifty-unit development, located in Jackson Michigan.
Mentors are a key element in the successes of a Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) program. Data collection and analysis can be time consuming and costly. This presentation will recognize the possible contributions of peer mentors to a VTC/VDC. Information will be shared regarding the importance of surveying your peer mentors, along with how to collect data from peer mentors and mentees throughout each phase of the program. Examples of non-exhaustive quantitative and qualitative questions for a peer mentor survey will be provided.
A veteran peer mentor (VPM) program should start with a pool of qualified veterans who act as supporters and advocates for participants as they navigate their Veteran Treatment Court/Veteran Diversion Court (VTC/VDC) mandates. To support and uphold the legal, ethical, and moral standards of such a program, there should be a set of qualitative and quantitative quality standards in your VPM program. This presentation is designed to offer a framework to begin the process of developing a strong, evaluative, integrative, and team centric VPM profile that positively support your policy and program overall.
In Treatment Courts, changing behavior is the ultimate goal, and the most effective method in achieving that goal is implementing a combination of incentives and sanctions. All Treatment Court team members need to understand the fundamentals of incentives and sanctions, not only learning the general rules, but also the evidenced based approaches used in court every day. While this can be considered a fundamentals course, even experienced team members can use a refresher on incentives and sanctions that is based on the latest research, especially those who have not attended an incentives and sanction training in the past few years.
After more than 33 years of operation research on problem solving courts shows they can be effective at reducing recidivism among justice involved populations most likely to be arrested and who have behavior health issues. Prior and concurrent research on individuals with frequent contact in the justice system lead to the development of the Risk Need Responsively or RNR model. Principles of the RNR model provide instruction on how to intervene with the justice involved to improve outcomes. This session will describe how the principles of the RNR model can be incorporated into the operation of problem-solving courts to change behavior and reduce recidivism among problem solving court populations.
Procedural Justice, also known as Procedural Fairness, refers to the perceived fairness of court proceedings. Those who come in contact with the court form perceptions of fairness from the proceedings, from the surroundings, and from the treatment people get. Find out how Procedural Justice can be applied in your courtroom, This session will bring awareness and understanding of its importance in the courtroom and action steps to successfully bringing Procedural Justice into the court.
