evidence-based responses to substance use disorders

Evidence-Based Responses to Substance Use Disorders

Evidence should guide how the justice system responds to substance use disorders. Effective practices match interventions to individual risk and need, use drug-testing information appropriately, reinforce positive behavior, implement proven models with fidelity, and measure whether programs achieve their intended outcomes.
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Accountability and substance use disorder recovery in the justice system

Accountability: Recovery and Public Safety Can Coexist

Accountability does not have to mean punishment alone. Principle 3 of JSI’s Substance Use Disorder series examines how purposeful responses, treatment, procedural fairness, and clear expectations can promote both recovery and lasting public safety.
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Treatment Courts Evidence

Specialty Courts: What the Evidence Actually Shows

Do specialty courts improve public safety and reduce recidivism? This evidence-based review examines current research on treatment courts, addresses common criticisms, and explains what today's evidence and national best practice standards actually show.
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Language in Treatment Courts

Words Matter: How Language Shapes Justice in Treatment Courts

Words influence more than conversation—they shape perception, reduce or reinforce stigma, and affect how justice is experienced. Discover why language is an essential component of treatment courts, procedural justice, and evidence-based practices that support long-term recovery.
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substance use disorders in the justice system

An Effective Framework for Responding to Substance Use Disorders in the Justice System

Substance use disorders affect every part of the justice system. This new series explores five evidence-based principles that can strengthen public safety, improve outcomes, and support long-term recovery.
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Treatment Court Data

Treatment Court Data and National Infrastructure with Dr. DeVall

This Justice Speaks episode examines how treatment court data supports accountability, credibility, and growth nationwide. Dr. Kristen DeVall of the National Treatment Court Resource Center discusses research, national tools, and collaboration that help treatment courts move beyond anecdote and strengthen evidence-based decision making across all court models.
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Real justice reform

A Decade of Experience: Why Real Justice Reform Requires Practitioners

Real justice reform depends on the people who do the work. This article explains why practitioners—judges, probation officers, law enforcement, and treatment providers—offer the most accurate understanding of what makes treatment courts effective. Their daily experience, grounded in evidence and accountability, provides the clearest roadmap for improving public safety and recovery outcomes.
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Alaska Treatment Courts

Advancing Therapeutic Courts Across Alaska with Ms. Rachel Varela

In this episode of Justice Speaks, Ms. Rachel Varela, Deputy Therapeutic Court Program Coordinator for the Alaska Court System, shares how Alaska’s therapeutic courts are expanding access to justice across vast and diverse communities. She discusses statewide innovations in training, technology, and collaboration that strengthen recovery and rehabilitation outcomes.
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Harm Reduction and Accountability

Harm Reduction Needs Guardrails: Balancing Compassion and Accountability

Harm reduction is an essential part of recovery but must not mean a lack of accountability. Drawing lessons from Oregon’s policy challenges, this article explains why treatment courts need structure, incentives, and consequences. True recovery requires compassion paired with meaningful accountability to prevent relapse and promote long-term change.
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Opioid Intervention Court

Opioid Intervention Courts: A Proven Path to Recovery

Opioid Intervention Courts offer a life-saving alternative to traditional justice responses by focusing on rapid treatment, overdose prevention, and recovery support. Backed by recent research, this evidence-based model prioritizes health over punishment and helps courts address opioid use disorder more effectively and compassionately.
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