(NADCP)–The National Association of Drug Court Professionals is still in need of a few presenters for its national conference this July 14 in National Harbor, Maryland. Spokesperson Jeffrey Kushner says that the organization is looking for individuals who have developed innovative solutions to resolving barriers that rural drug courts are having with the following Best Practice Standards:

  1. The Drug Court offers a continuum of care for substance abuse treatment (detoxication, residential, sober living, day treatment, intensive outpatient and outpatient services)
  2. Providing adequate treatment dosage and duration, i.e. 6-10 hours of counseling per week during the initial phase and approximately 200 hours of counseling over nine to twelve months.
  3. Participants are prescribed psychotropic or addiction medications based on medical necessity.
  4. Participants complete a final phase focusing on relapse prevention and for at least the first ninety days after discharge contact previous participants by telephone, mail, e-mail or similar means to check on their progress
  5. The Drug Court provides complementary services, e.g. housing assistance, transportation, mental health treatment, trauma-informed services, criminal-thinking interventions, family or interpersonal counseling, vocational or educational services, medical or dental treatment, etc.
  6. Drug Court Team members attend continuing education workshops on at least an annual basis to gain up-to-date knowledge about best practices.
  7. Caseloads for probation officers or other professionals responsible for community supervision of participants must permit sufficient opportunities to monitor participant performance.  Caseloads do not exceed fifty active participants per supervision officer.
  8. Criminal recidivism is monitored for at least three years following participant’s entry into the drug court. A skilled and independent evaluator examines the Drug Court’s adherence to best practices and participant outcomes.
  9. Outcomes for Drug Court participants are compared to those of an unbiased and equivalent comparison group.

Kushner says that the organization is looking for individuals who are planning to attend the conference and would be willing to share their expertise during a three-hour skill building workshop on July 14. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Jared Kushner at 0000019b2b5e3327-dmarc-[email protected].