Juvenile and Family Court Judiciary Education on Substance Use and Substance Use Disorder

ONDCP’s Juvenile and Family Court Judiciary Education on Substance Use and Substance Use Disorder Cooperative Agreement supports training and education that helps educate juvenile and family court judges and the entire justice system about the science of addiction, substance use, and substance use disorder, and how substance use and substance use disorder is impacted by the legal system. The President’s priority is to enhance public safety by providing those who have engaged in criminal activity with greater opportunities to lead productive lives by addressing a range of issues, including mental health, vocational training, job creation, after-school programming, substance use, and mentoring through evidence-based rehabilitation programs. ONDCP seeks to reduce drug use and its consequences through evidence-based practices, and this cooperative agreement will apply these principles to the criminal justice system. The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to: (1) educate and train juvenile and family court judges to improve adherence to best practices, (2) decrease justice costs and recidivism, and (3) increase awareness of the science of addiction, substance use, and substance use disorder among the judiciary. The cooperative agreement recipient shall: • Engage judges and former judges to provide peer-to-peer educational opportunities. • Use expert practitioners in the fields engaged in the science of addiction, criminal justice, and healthcare. • Provide in-person training, online training, and jurisdiction-specific technical assistance to a variety of demographically composed areas at the state, local, and Tribal levels. • Include ONDCP policy priorities in the development and execution of training and educational programs: o Applying a comprehensive approach to addressing substance use and substance use disorders, including prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery. o Diversion programming with evidence-based and comprehensive case management, treatment for substance use disorders, recovery and other necessary services. All portions of the application must reflect these objectives and subject matter areas.