The Juvenile Drug Treatment Court (JDTC) Guidelines were developed to offer an evidence-based model for providing treatment to youth with substance use disorders who enter the juvenile justice system. A national evaluation was conducted to assess practices used by JDTCs and to test the guidelines. Data include program-level survey data; qualitative, guided discussions with JDTC staff; and court observations. Results reveal wide variation in the practices utilized by sites and their success in implementing the guidelines. These findings support the development of a best practice model for JDTCs to improve youth outcomes.

This paper was developed jointly with Dr. Juliette Mackin of NPC Research. The National Cross-Site Evaluation of JDTC Guidelines project was supported by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and managed by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice.

Carnevale Associates partnered with researchers at Chestnut Health Systems to publish this paper in the Journal of Correctional Healthcare on a study assessing the availability of MOUD and other services for pregnant women in jails in counties that were heavily impacted by the opioid criss.

Citation: Grella CE, Scott CK, Dennis ML, LaVallee RA. Access to Services for Pregnant People With Opioid Use Disorder in Jails in the United States. J Correct Health Care. 2023 Aug;29(4):299-307. doi: 10.1089/jchc.22.03.0023. Epub 2023 May 26. PMID: 37252747; PMCID: PMC10494905.

Carnevale Associates partnered with researchers at Chestnut Health Systems to publish this paper in Health & Justice exploring best practices and training needs to meet the needs of people with OUD in US jails.

Citation: Scott, C.K., Grella, C.E., Dennis, M.L. et al. Availability of best practices for opioid use disorder in jails and related training and resource needs: findings from a national interview study of jails in heavily impacted counties in the U.S.. Health Justice 10, 36 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-022-00197-3

The National Association of Drug Court Professionals and Carnevale Associates teamed up to publish this paper providing an update on MOUD policies and practices among adult drug courts in communities that are substantially impacted by the opioid epidemic.

Citation: Marlowe DB, Theiss DS, Ostlie EM, Carnevale J. Drug court utilization of medications for opioid use disorder in high opioid mortality communities. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2022 Oct;141:108850. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2022.108850. Epub 2022 Jul 29. PMID: 35931014.

Carnevale Associates worked with researchers at the University of Arizona on this paper examining implementation process in JDTCs.

Citation: Greene, A., Korchmaros, J. D., Kagan, R. G., M. Ostlie, E., & Davis, M. (2022). From Referral to Treatment: Implementation Processes in Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Programs. Youth Justice, 23(3), 286-310. https://doi.org/10.1177/14732254221122625

Carnevale Associates worked with researchers at Temple University, Chestnut Health Systems, and NPC Research on this paper in the Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research. Findings from four sites with sufficient cases and follow-up rates indicated that JDTCs reduced cannabis use, increased access to mental health services, and reduced recidivism. However, the effects were small to moderate, with positive impacts mainly observed among high-risk youth. The impacts of JDTCs may have been attenuated because Guidelines implementation was inconsistent across courts, and some TJCs implemented elements of the Guidelines, blurring the distinction between JDTCs and TJCs.

Citation: Belenko, S., Dennis, M., Hiller, M. et al. The Impact of Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts on Substance Use, Mental Health, and Recidivism: Results from a Multisite Experimental Evaluation. J Behav Health Serv Res 49, 436–455 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-022-09805-4

Carnevale Associates partnered with researchers at Chestnut Health Systems to publish this scoping review in Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy of factors that influence overdose prevention for justice-involved populations. Findings can inform the development of overdose prevention interventions that target justice-involved individuals and policies to support their implementation across criminal justice and community-based service systems.

Citation: Grella, C.E., Ostlie, E., Scott, C.K. et al. A scoping review of factors that influence opioid overdose prevention for justice-involved populations. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy 16, 19 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13011-021-00346-1

Carnevale Associates partnered with researchers at Chestnut Health Systems to publish this scoping review in the International Journal of Drug Policy finding that barriers to implementing MOUD in criminal justice settings and with justice-involved populations are pervasive, multi-leveled, and inter-dependent.

Citation: Grella CE, Ostile E, Scott CK, Dennis M, Carnavale J. A Scoping Review of Barriers and Facilitators to Implementation of Medications for Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder within the Criminal Justice System. Int J Drug Policy. 2020 Jul;81:102768. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102768. Epub 2020 May 20. PMID: 32446130; PMCID: PMC8372195.