By Kristina Bryant, Principal Court Management Consultant, National Center for State Courts; and Executive Director, Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative
The Appalachian/Midwest Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative (RJOI), of which Michigan is a part, was originally created in 2016 in response to the need for information, education, and resources to address the opioid epidemic in the region. Since then it has broadened its scope to include all substance use disorders and is educating the judiciary on how to best support those afflicted through recovery, rehabilitation, and jail diversion programs designed to keep families together, reduce recidivism, and save lives.
As a part of this initiative, RJOI offered a series of
judicial roundtables was held in Michigan for judges who are leading treatment
courts (adult drug, veterans, sobriety, hybrid, DWI, or family) and wanted to
actively engage in discussions with peers on the judicial role in treatment
courts. Participants increased their knowledge of the judicial role in a
treatment court and examined the shift in judicial practices that support
positive outcomes.
The roundtable learning environment was facilitated through the
Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (Project ECHO). Project ECHO is an
approach to learning that found success in the medical community through a
doctor-to-doctor learning environment that allows specialized knowledge and
practice to be transferred. Using Zoom technology to create an online roundtable
and recognizing that all who come to the table have something to learn and
share, rapid one-hour sessions feature information from experts, open
question/answer discussions and case-based learning of real or close to
real-life scenarios.
Project ECHO for the Judiciary – Treatment Courts met every other week for one hour between March and July. Each session presented a 20-minute didactic session relevant to the treatment court environment, 10 minutes of open question and answer of the roundtable attendees, and 30 minutes of case-based scenarios contributed by the attendees. Sessions were led by the “Hub Team,” which includes:
- Judge Patrick Bowler, retired;
- Judge Sue Dobrich, Chief Judge Cass County Courts;
- Judge Geno Salomone, retired, 23rd District Court;
- Jeanne Kapenga, MD;
- Barbara M. Howes, PhD;
- Alma Valenzuela, MPA, LMSW, MATCP President.
A recent pilot of Project ECHO was completed in Michigan by a group of judges. The feedback was extremely positive. All of the judges advised they would engage in a Project ECHO series again. Survey respondents agreed the time was well spent, relevant to their everyday work, and immediately useful to their work. Below are three excerpts from participating judges who provided feedback.
“After the first session, I was hooked. As a relatively new judge (less than two years on the bench), the training was what I needed at that moment. I just had no idea how to handle the issues or fully understanding my role in addressing substance use disorder issues of justice-involved participants. I remain grateful to have been included in the pilot and it has already shaped my thinking and approach to cases and the way I regard substance use disorder.”
“I thought the one hour was perfect. It allowed me to hear cases for most of the day and wrap up my day with the training. I thought the twenty minute increments were excellent. I would have liked to have heard more examples - success cases versus cases that were not successful and why. I think it was great that I had to bring a case, but for the more experienced judges on the panel, I would have liked them to bring a case and discuss the struggles with their decisions to gain more insight on how they handled the case based on their years of experience.”
“Excellent program; well thought out, and very useful.”
The final sessions for Project ECHO – Treatment Court Series – Michigan were held on the following topics:
- Trauma. High performing courts are well versed in how past trauma affects present behavior and the role of the judge and the court in this process.
- Due Process and Confidentiality. Due process and confidentiality in a treatment court setting.
- Sanctions and Incentives. How to use incentives and sanctions to gain the best outcomes.
- The Judge is the Key Component. The judge’s role is complex and significantly altered in a problem-solving court.
Contact Kristina Bryant, Principal Court Management Consultant for the National Center for State Courts and Executive Director of RJOI (kbryant@ncsc.org) for additional information.
Kristina Bryant, MBA, began her work for the NCSC as a Principal Court Management Consultant after 23 years’ experience in community corrections as a Juvenile Court Probation Officer, Criminal Justice Planner, and Assistant Director of adult pretrial and probation services agency. She has worked extensively with the judiciary, elected officials, and policymakers to improve justice policies and practices and to expand collaborative court diversion and intervention efforts. Ms. Bryant is skilled in court administration, including training and process analysis and has broad experience in drug policy issues. She has also facilitated cross-system information sharing and collaborations between justice and behavioral health partners. Ms. Bryant served four years on the Virginia Community Criminal Justice Association, Executive Committee, as Treasurer and served multiple terms as cochair of the statewide Probation Quality Assurance Committee and the Legislative Committee. She graduated from Averett University with a Master’s in Business Administration and received her Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice from Radford University. Ms. Bryant also has extensive experience in education and learning styles, teaching at the university level for seven years.