Incorporating MISSION-CJ for drug court participants with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders

Abstract

This paper reports on the implementation of evidence-based MISSION-CJ case management across multiple drug courts in Erie and Niagara County, NY. Participant outcomes, including substance use, housing, employment, mental health symptoms, and criminal justice involvement were assessed at intake and 6-months for 209 individuals. Overall, significant improvements were observed for nights in jail, committing any crimes, past 30-day alcohol and drug use, anxiety symptoms, housing, and employment. Results suggest that MISSION-CJ can successfully be implemented across multiple court settings, and may be a valuable add-on to drug court programs to address unmet mental health needs of participants.

Keywords:

• drug courts
• co-occurring disorders treatment
• alternative to incarceration
• case management

Acknowledgments

The research team wishes to acknowledge and thank Eric Weigel, Project Director, for his support and guidance.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by the Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) [grant #1H79TI080287] to the Erie County Department of Mental Health (PI: Weigel).