The post Need Funding for Your Court? These Webinars Will Show You the Ropes appeared first on NADCP.org.

The post Apply Now for Incentives, Sanctions, and Therapeutic Adjustments Training appeared first on NADCP.org.

As we reflect on this extraordinary and challenging year, we are filled with gratitude for the professionalism, dedication, and perseverance of the treatment court field. These are uncertain times, and yet you continue to be beacons of hope and humanity in your communities. From all of us at NADCP, thank you. NADCP exists to provide you with the best training, technical assistance, and resources. This year, you showed up in record numbers! From virtual team training to the new E-Learning Center, the level of engagement was unprecedented.

Throughout the year, we continued to tell the story of treatment court success in the news and on social media. Powered by your incredible stories of treatment court transformation, millions were exposed to the lifesaving work of treatment courts.

In August, more than 4,000 treatment court professionals came together for RISE21. Over four days and hundreds of sessions, RISE21 attendees expanded their understanding of critical issues facing treatment courts today. We are already hard at work planning RISE22, stay tuned for details in January.

Most importantly, this year, you helped connect over 150,000 people to treatment and recovery support. You reunited families, strengthened your communities, and proved to the nation why treatment courts are so vital to justice reform.

The post appeared first on NADCP.org.

Veterans Day | November 11, 2021

Today, Veterans Day, we pause to pay tribute to current and former service members of the United States armed forces. It is a day to recognize all those who answered the call to defend our country and its freedoms.

As John F. Kennedy stated, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” Today, and every day, let us not only remember the sacrifice of those who have served, but honor them through acts of appreciation. No matter how you choose to mark the occasion, find a way to say “thank you” to some of the more than 18 million veterans in our country, and consider supporting one of the many organizations working to assist our veterans at home.

Sincerely,
Scott Tirocchi, M.A., M.S., L.P.C.
Major, U.S. Army (Retired)
Division Director, Justice For Vets

The post Veterans Day appeared first on NADCP.org.

Shop Using AmazonSmile and Advance Treatment Courts Nationwide

AmazonSmile donates 0.5% of eligible purchases to the organization of your choice—and now that includes NADCP! Funds raised through AmazonSmile will help NADCP provide more training and resources to the treatment court community.

Here’s how it works:

In order to support NADCP while shopping on Amazon, you must go through smile.amazon.com and/or have it set up on your Amazon app for NADCP to receive credit. Don’t worry, setup takes just a few minutes!

Here’s how to set up AmazonSmile on your computer:

On your computer, go to this link and click “Get Started.”
In the search bar, enter “NADCP” or “National Association of Drug Court Professionals.”
Hit “select” next to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals option.

Now that you’ve chosen your charity, you can go back to your AmazonSmile homepage, where you’ll see “Supporting: National Association of Drug Court Professionals” under the search bar.

Bookmark the link to make sure you are always shopping via AmazonSmile on your computer!
To make sure you’re supporting NADCP when you shop on your mobile device:

Open the Amazon app and click the menu button on the bottom right.
Choose “Gifting and Charity” and then “AmazonSmile.”
Click “Turn on AmazonSmile” and follow the easy prompts. Note: to keep AmazonSmile activated in the app, you must have notifications enabled.

Thank you for advancing justice with us!

The post Shop Using AmazonSmile and Advance Treatment Courts Nationwide appeared first on NADCP.org.

Earn up to 14 hours of continuing education

From August 15-18, 2021, NADCP held the world’s preeminent conference on addiction, mental health, and justice reform. Now you can experience RISE21 on demand and earn up to 14 hours of continuing education credit!

NADCP has curated some of the most popular RISE21 sessions and presenters and recorded them in-studio just for you. These sessions are now available for purchase through the end of the year to all treatment court practitioners. With purchase, all on-demand registrants will also receive the incredible opening and All Rise ceremonies, including the Leslie Jordan performance that garnered over 500,000 views on Instagram!

If you attended RISE21, you will receive access to this exclusive on-demand content at no cost. Check your email for details on accessing RISE21 On Demand. If you do not see it, please check your spam folder for an email from the address “noreply@talentlms.com”.

The post RISE21 On Demand Now Available appeared first on NADCP.org.

Webinar: Fentanyl in Treatment Courts

Friday, July 16 | 2:00 p.m. EDT

NADCP’s National Drug Court Institute Drug Court U is presenting a free webinar event on what treatment courts and others need to know about fentanyl to better serve participants. The live webinar is presented by pharmacology expert Steve Hanson. 

America’s opioid crisis continues to take a toll on communities across the country in the form of overdoses and deaths. The Centers for Disease Control attributes these casualties largely to illegally manufactured fentanyl. Armed with the latest information, treatment courts are well positioned to act against the fast-acting and dangerous substance in their communities. 

The webinar offers a comprehensive overview of fentanyl, including its:

• Pharmacology
• Variations
• Medical use
• Street availability
• Overdose prevalence 
• Treatment implications

About the Presenter

Steve Hanson, M.S. Ed., is the associate commissioner for courts and criminal justice for the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS). He is responsible for relationships with the various criminal justice entities, including treatment courts, state and local corrections, and probation and parole. Previously he served as the associate commissioner of treatment for OASAS, with responsibilities for the oversight of state-operated treatment programs, adolescent services, criminal justice, and recovery services. Mr. Hanson has been with OASAS since April 2001, when he was appointed as the director of the John L. Norris Addiction Treatment Center in Rochester. In 2007, he was named director of the Bureau of Addiction Treatment Centers, and in 2009 he was named director of treatment services. He has more than 35 years of experience in the field as a treatment provider, educator, and consultant. His ability to train criminal justice practitioners on drug abuse and treatment has been recognized both nationally and internationally. He has been a NADCP faculty member for nearly two decades.

The post Fentanyl in Treatment Courts: Webinar from Steve Hanson appeared first on NADCP.org.

Check Out the Latest RISE21 Program and More

As the country reopens and travel restrictions ease, we’re moving full-steam ahead with RISE21! The preeminent conference on addiction, mental health, and justice reform, RISE21 will be held August 15-18 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. 

Register and secure your housing today!

RISE21 Program

The RISE21 program has been updated to reflect the latest and greatest on a wide variety of session topics and learning tracks. Attendees can earn up to 24.5 hours of continuing education! RISE21 will feature content such as:

• Equity and inclusion
• Alternatives to jail sanctions
• Legalized marijuana and treatment courts
• Law enforcement–specific sessions
• Veteran-focused sessions
• …and much, much more!

The post RISE21 Program Now Available appeared first on NADCP.org.

The post Specialized Law Enforcement Training at RISE21 appeared first on NADCP.org.

Honoring Treatment Court Pioneer Judge Robert Russell

At the end of this month, Judge Robert Russell will retire from the bench. That he will step down at the conclusion of National Drug Court Month is a fitting end to a career marked by unparalleled service and innovation in the field. Judge Russell’s unwavering belief in people’s ability to recover from mental health and substance use disorders and his responsiveness to the needs of our military veterans helped pave the way for a new era of compassionate jurisprudence in the American legal system.

Judge Russell was elected to the bench in Buffalo, New York in 1991 and was an early pioneer of treatment courts. He established the Buffalo drug treatment court in 1995 and mental health treatment court in 2002. In 2008, Judge Russell founded the nation’s first veterans treatment court (click here to read the full story), igniting a movement that would spread at an unprecedented rate, growing to more than 400 programs across the country today.

Judge Russell’s leadership, empathy, wisdom, and dedication to service make him an invaluable member of the NADCP family. He was elected to our board of directors in 1998, served as board chair from 2002 to 2004, and continues to serve as an emeritus member today. He has long served as faculty for both NADCP and Justice For Vets, traveling coast to coast to provide jurisdictions with training and technical assistance to implement and improve their treatment court programs. In 2004, Judge Russell was inducted into NADCP’s Stanley Goldstein Treatment Court Hall of Fame, and he was the first inductee to Justice For Vets’ Veterans Treatment Court Hall of Fame in 2013.

“Judge Russell has dedicated his life to advancing justice for people with mental health and substance use disorders in the legal system, especially our military veterans,” said NADCP Board Chair Judge Bruce Williams. “He has made an indelible impact on NADCP, Justice For Vets, the treatment court movement, and the court system as a whole. Most importantly, he’s saved lives and families. Judge Russell’s efforts during his career will continue to make a difference in communities across this country for years to come.”

In addition to his work with NADCP, Judge Russell is the past president of the New York Association of Treatment Court Professionals and served on the National Advisory Board of the Judges’ Criminal Justice/Mental Health Leadership Initiative at the Bureau of Justice Assistance. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including:

• White House Advocate for Action Award presented by the Office of National Drug Control Policy for “astounding efforts and groundbreaking thinking” in efforts to return justice-involved individuals to the community
• Franklin N. Flaschner Award from the American Bar Association for “commitment to high ideals, exemplary character, leadership, and competence in performing judicial duties”
• Nancy D. Smith Memorial Award from the National Alliance for Mental Illness

“Judge Russell is an icon in the treatment court field,” said NADCP CEO Carson Fox. “Without him, we might not have veterans treatment courts. His career has been marked by quiet, kind, and thoughtful leadership, all the while paving the way for monumental improvements in the way the justice system deals with persons who have substance use and mental health disorders. Although he’s leaving the bench, all of us will continue to benefit from his guidance as an emeritus member of the NADCP Board of Directors.”

As Judge Russell hangs up his robe, we celebrate a judicial career that positively impacted countless lives not just in New York, but nationwide. We encourage you to join us in honoring Judge Russell’s service by leaving a note of congratulations or sharing a favorite memory of him our Facebook page.

The post Honoring Treatment Court Pioneer Judge Robert Russell appeared first on NADCP.org.