2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Washington State Association of Drug Court Professionals

Washington Association of Drug Courts

Five Year (2019 – 2024) Strategic Plan

2022 Accomplishments

Introduction: The Strategic Plan reflects the commitment of the Washington State Association of Drug Court Professionals (WSADCP) and Washington State Association of Drug Courts (WADC) Board to champion proven strategies within the judicial system that empower people to change their lives.

Vision: All eligible persons charged with a crime in Washington State have access to a high-quality therapeutic court.

Mission: To promote and provide leadership for therapeutic courts throughout Washington State.

Goal 1: Promote best practices for all therapeutic courts in Washington.

Goal 2: Strengthen our ability to provide services and resources to therapeutic courts in Washington.

Goal 3: Strengthen our advocacy efforts for therapeutic courts across the state.

Goal 4: Expand support and membership to all therapeutic courts in Washington.

Strategies by goal:

Goal 1: Promote best practices for all therapeutic courts in Washington.

Strategies:

  1. Provide training and support for the use of best practices at all WSADCP training conferences.

2022 Accomplishments:

  • Survey re: training interests
  • Virtual Training Series Spring to Fall of 2022
  • Annual WSADCP Conference
  1. Encourage the use of evidence based and best practices in all therapeutic courts.

2022 Accomplishments:

  • Virtual Training Series Spring to Fall of 2022
  • Annual WSADCP Conference featured workshops and information regarding EBP.
  • Foundational Resources section added to website, featuring resources for Drug Courts, Veterans Courts, and Mental Health Courts.
  • Information re: training and best practices sent to all drug courts with dues letter.
  1. Establish a subcommittee composed of former therapeutic court participants to provide participant input on standards of care and best practices.

2022 Accomplishments:

  • Alumni representative added to Board.
  • Alumni panel at WSADCP Conference
  1. Consider establishing a mentoring program for new therapeutic courts and court professionals.
  2. Consider establishing a credentialing and/or affiliation policy and process for therapeutic courts in Washington.

Goal 2: Strengthen our ability to provide services and resources to therapeutic courts in Washington.

Strategies:

  1. Continue to provide high quality training for therapeutic court professionals across the state.

2022 Accomplishments:

  • Survey re: training interests
  • Virtual Training Series Spring to Fall of 2022
  • Annual WSADCP Conference
  1. Improve membership tracking and provide opportunities for members to communicate with each other.

2022 Accomplishments:

  • WSADCP Membership trackable through conference on-line registration system.
  • Partner with AOC (who now serves as lead) for Court Coordinator meetings during the year.
  1. Design a new website to provide information resources for therapeutic court professionals.

2022 Accomplishments:

  • Foundational Resources section added to website, featuring resources for Drug Courts, Veterans Courts and Mental Health Courts.
  • Website updated to include comprehensive info on WSADCP and CJTA to serve as a reference for new Board member recruitment.
  • Graduate stories featured on website for Drug Court Month (May 2022).
  1. Develop and share advocacy resources such as a speaker’s bureau, talking points, handouts, PowerPoint shows, etc. for use in presentations, especially those who are starting a new therapeutic court.

Goal 3: Strengthen our advocacy efforts for therapeutic courts across the state.

Strategies:

  1. Continue to represent the interests of therapeutic court professionals on the Criminal Justice Treatment Account (CJTA) panel and with DBHR.

2022 Accomplishments:

  • Have member and alternate on the CJTA Panel.
  • Advocated for fidelity to CJTA statute and clarified CJTA Panel membership with DBHR.
  • Created 1-pager on CJTA history that was distributed to CJTA Panel members.
  1. Continue legislative advocacy to expand resources (including CJTA) and capacity for therapeutic courts, treatment, and recovery support services throughout the state.

2022 Accomplishments:

  • Contracted with Evergreen Public Affairs for lobbying and consultation services.
  • 2022 President served a liaison to Evergreen Public affairs and monitored legislative activities that could impact therapeutic court services.
  • Legislative accomplishments:
    • Budget proviso allowing use of CJTA for 180 days following graduation through June 2023. (Currently in use in at least four counties.)
    • Statement issued regarding recommendations for responding to State v. Blake, supporting a continuum of services/responses along the Sequential Intercept Model, increased funding for SUD and recovery support services in the community and continued funding of Drug Courts and therapeutic alternatives within Courts of Limited Jurisdiction.
    • Provided input on SB 5663 establishing streamlined procedures for State v. Blake – signed in as “Other” based on some areas of impact being unaddressed within the bill.
    • Legislature provided separate funding for therapeutic courts at District and Municipal Court level (a longstanding request of WADC’s) with a $4.9M appropriation in the 2022 supplemental budget. And, Governor’s proposed budget for next biennium includes $20M in ongoing funding for CLJs to operate therapeutic courts, separate from CJTA.
  • Proclamation and link to Drug Court month’s graduate stories emailed to every legislator.
  • Successfully advocated within SURSAC Treatment Subcommittee to ensure recommendation did not limit Medicaid reimbursable SUD assessments to only 15 minutes.
  1. Support increased capacity for standardized data collection and analysis to measure the effectiveness of therapeutic courts, especially for high-risk/high-need offenders.

2022 Accomplishments:

  • Two workshops at WSADCP Annual Conference on data collection and analysis.
  1. Create messaging to distinguish therapeutic courts from other diversion programs to demonstrate the unique strengths of the model for appropriate offenders.

2022 Accomplishments:

  • Drug Court Month Proclamation by Governor.
  • Proclamation and link to Drug Court month’s graduate stories emailed to every legislator.
  • Published and distributed report outlining the evidence for Washington Drug Courts in response to inaccuracies in LEAD Support Bureau report to SURSAC.
  • Prosecutor discussion forum at WSADCP Conference re: leveraging drug courts post-Blake.
  • Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) presentation and discussion at WSADCP Conference.
  • Statement issued regarding recommendations for responding to State v. Blake, supporting a continuum of services/responses along the SIM, outlining the crucial function that Drug Courts perform within this model.
  1. Consider organizing a legislative advocacy day for therapeutic court professionals.
  2. Create a WSADCP legislative or public policy subcommittee.

Goal 4: Expand support and membership to all therapeutic courts in Washington.

Strategies:

  1. Expand legislative advocacy to include all therapeutic courts.

2022 Accomplishments:

  • Worked with Evergreen Public Affairs to monitor and promote support of all therapeutic courts, including continued funding for District/Municipal Courts.
  1. Recruit representation from other therapeutic courts to WSADCP board.

2022 Accomplishments:

  • Recruitment subcommittee formed, established recruitment process.
  1. Encourage collaboration between therapeutic courts within a jurisdiction and throughout the state.

2022 Accomplishments:

  • Survey of Court Coordinators to understand differences in drug court eligibility criteria and opportunities for expansion.
  • Discussion at Quarterly Coordinator’s meeting with Prosecutor and Defense representative about increasing drug court capacity post-Blake.
  • Prosecutor discussion forum at WSADCP Conference re: leveraging drug courts post-Blake.
  • Increased diverse geographic representation on Board.
  1. Seek higher participation and representation from tribal therapeutic courts.

2022 Accomplishments:

  • Tribal court participation in WSADCP Conference including workshop.
  • Recruitment subcommittee formed, established recruitment process.

Next Review: February 2024