U.S. Department of Justice: Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Program

The Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Program builds capacity to enhance existing drug courts or implement new juvenile drug treatment courts (JDTCs) for individuals with substance abuse problems or co-occurring mental health disorders, including histories of trauma. Successful applicants will develop and implement a sustainability plan during the grant period to continue operation of the drug court when the grant ends. A juvenile drug treatment court is a court calendar or docket that provides specialized treatment and services for youth with substance use or co-occurring mental health disorders. JDTCs represent a unique, treatment-oriented approach that requires strong community partnerships and enhances these partners’ capacity to engage young people with substance use disorders in the treatment, mental health, and social support services that can help them recover from their substance use and lead healthier lives. The purpose of this program is to provide support to juvenile courts that intend to establish a new JDTC or to enhance existing JDTCs.

The program offers two juvenile drug court grant categories. Applicants must clearly designate under which category they are applying.

Category 1: Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Planning – This program will support jurisdictions that have identified a need to establish a JDTC. Funding under this program will support a 24-month planning process that will educate the JDTC team about the basic components of a JDTC and develop a program that integrates court and treatment functions. Applicants must include in their application:

• Signed letters of commitment from each of the key drug court team members: judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, treatment provider, drug court coordinator, law enforcement, and community supervision representative.
• A letter from the state court administrator or chief justice of the highest court for the state indicating the highest court has been consulted in connection with this application.
• A plan to hire a JDTC coordinator to manage the coordination of activities and the strategic plan.
• A plan that demonstrates that participating offenders will be supervised by one or more designated judges with responsibility for the JDTC program.
• Certify that violent offenders will be excluded from JDTC programs that receive funds.
• Certify that all treatment programs and providers used in the drug court program are licensed, certified, or accredited by appropriate agencies.

Category 2: Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Enhancement – The goal of this category is to enhance the capacity of JDTCs and ultimately improve the outcome for the youth involved in the JDTC. Applicants may consider enhancements on one or more of the following key components of a JDTC, but are not limited to these. JDTCs should propose enhancements according to their greatest areas of need for improvement.

• Focus the JDTC practice on effectively addressing substance abuse and criminogenic needs to decrease future offending and substance abuse and to increase positive outcomes.
• JDTCs should engage parents or guardians throughout the court process, which includes addressing the specific barriers to their full engagement.
• Ensure appropriate treatment for all youth by adhering to eligibility criteria and conducting an initial screening. Eligible youth (1) have a substance abuse problem (as identified by a validated screening instrument), (2) are 14 years old or older but younger than age 18, and (3) have a moderate to high risk of reoffending (as identified by a validated risk assessment instrument), but are not currently referred for a violent offense.
• Refer participants to evidence-based substance abuse treatment and/or to other services as needed. Treatment and other services for opioid abuse should be addressed as appropriate. Applicants should identify in their application the substance abuse treatment and/or other services that will be provided to participants.
• Monitor and track program completion and termination.
• Provide a JDTC process that engages the full JDTC team (e.g., drug court coordinator, judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, treatment providers, schools, probation officer, families) and follows procedures.
• Conduct comprehensive needs assessments that inform individualized case management. Validated needs assessments should include information for each participant on use of alcohol or other drugs; criminogenic needs; mental health needs; history of abuse or other traumatic experiences; well-being needs and strengths; and parental substance abuse, parental mental health needs, and parenting skills.
• Implement contingency management, case management, and community supervision strategies effectively.

Applicants should describe the long-term strategy and detailed implementation plan to enhance their juvenile drug treatment court and include an overview of (1) the JDTC’s current practices and (2) proposed practices to change or implement during the project period. Courts that propose to enhance the JDTC program by expanding the continuum of care through implementation of peer recovery support services will be supported. Peer recovery support services involve an array of supports and services that are responsive to the specific needs of the participants.

Amount: An estimated $3,250,000 is available. Award amounts and durations are dependent upon category, as follows:

• Category 1: Up to five awards of $250,000 each with a period of performance of 24 months
• Category 2: Up to five awards of $400,000 each with a period of performance of 36 months

Eligibility: States, territories, state courts, local courts, units of local government, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments acting on behalf of a single jurisdiction drug court. Faith- and community-based, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations are ineligible as applicants, but are encouraged to partner with eligible applicants as a community provider of services, if applicable and appropriate.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=314378

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