Justice Speaks Podcast Episode #41

In this episode, Justice Speaks continues a new series about State Treatment Court Associations.  This episode is sponsored by Reconnect.  In this episode, Mack Jenkins, Vice President of the Justice Speakers Institute (JSI), interviews Dr. Marie Crosson, the Executive Director of the Tennessee Association of Recovery Court Professionals (TARCP).

Dr. Marie Crosson

Dr. Crosson stated that she is a clinician by training and early in her career, she began working with justice populations, including working with prison inmates. She left direct clinical work to work for the state, which then led to her working with Problem Solving courts. She noted that at the time she knew nothing about Treatment Courts but quickly embraced them, especially because of her fascination with the non-adversarial approach.  She has been involved with Treatment Courts since the late 1990’s.

The Start of the TARCP

Dr. Crosson explained that TARCP was founded in 2001, initially consisting of a voluntary board that focused just on conference planning. At the time, the leaders recognized that Treatment Court practitioners in the state could potentially affect legislation and funding for Treatment Courts if they became organized. A few years later, the TARCP leadership recognized the need for an Executive Director’s position within the association.  As a result, in 2012, Dr. Crosson was asked to become the association’s inaugural Executive Director.  She accepted the offer and has remained in that role since that time. 

Dr. Crosson described that under her direction, TARCP initiated a strategic planning process with an immediate goal of growing beyond mere conference planning, pointing out that the association has been extremely successful in that endeavor, as well as successfully implementing most of its strategic initiatives. She noted that TARCP is now recognized around the state as a source of expertise on Tennessee Recovery Courts and the association routinely receives media calls and requests for information about Treatment Courts and the work they do in communities from around the state.

Dr. Crosson indicated that TARCP is a membership organization and it is possible to join as an individual, or as a part of a team or organization. The association presently boasts approximately 600 members, which interestingly enough, was one of the initial strategic goals. She said future plans include partnering with other associations and agencies in the state.

TARCP hosts an annual conference that is now planned by the association’s Conference Committee. Each conference typically follows a theme, such as issues around Mental Health Courts or Co-Occurring disorders, or trauma, and Medication Assisted Treatment. In developing the conference agenda, the committee seeks speakers with expertise associated with the particular conference’s theme to provide the best source of information for conference attendees. Dr. Crosson also noted that the committee is always looking for opportunities to discuss innovations that involve Recovery Courts.

TARCP’s Accomplishments and Challenges

When discussing the association’s accomplishments Dr. Crosson proudly describes that TARCP has met or exceeded all of its strategies objectives. She also mentions a recent collaboration with JSI where a series of web-based training videos were created to assist with judicial and attorney education. She also observed that the TARCP has enhanced its statewide connections with treatment court practitioners. 

She reported that future challenges include maintaining sustainable funding and working towards its ultimate goal of making sure that every person who might be eligible for participation in Tennessee Recovery Courts has access to one.

We wish to thank Dr. Crosson for sharing her unique experiences with TARCP and how it is changing criminal justice in Tennessee.  We also wish to thank Reconnect for sponsoring this podcast episode.

Additional Resource

You can also watch this interview by going to the Justice Speakers Institutes’ YouTube Channel or by clicking here.