AEP: Law enforcement and the criminal justice system

A pre-booking, community-based program to divert individuals suspected of committing low-level drug-related offenses to case management and supportive services instead of jail and prosecution in Louisville, KY.

Literature reviews and benefit-cost analyses of a wide variety of health and human services programs, including pre-arrest police diversion for individuals with mental illness.

Other community services include community behavioral health treatment and outreach to at-risk populations, such as people who inject drugs and people experiencing homelessness. For more resources on community-based addiction treatment, see the Addiction Evidence Project resource page on prevention, treatment and recovery.

The findings of a systematic review on the effectiveness de-escalation training for police. A subscription or fee is required to obtain the full text of the article.

Report that advises local law enforcement systems on how to use data to implement Crisis Intervention Team programs that can improve the safety and effectiveness of law enforcement response to people experiencing behavioral health crises.

Model policy and related report that provides guidance to law enforcement officers when responding to or encountering persons experiencing a mental health crisis, as well as tools for law enforcement executives to tailor the model policy to the requirements and circumstances of their community and their law enforcement agency.

Task force report containing best policing practices and recommendations on how those practices can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust within six categories: building trust and legitimacy, policy and oversight, technology and social media, community policing and crime reduction, training and education, and officer wellness and safety.

Literature reviews and benefit cost analyses of a wide variety of health and human services programs, including mobile crisis response.

Task force report containing best policing practices and offer recommendations on how those practices can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust within six categories: building trust and legitimacy, policy and oversight, technology and social media, community policing and crime reduction, training and education, and officer wellness and safety.

Assessment of the recommendations from the “Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing” that highlights which recommendations are established best practices and which are innovations that have not yet been adequately researched.

DEA’s 360 Strategy takes a three-pronged approach to combating opioid use through: (1) coordinated Law Enforcement actions against drug cartels and heroin traffickers in specific communities; (2) Diversion Control enforcement actions against DEA registrants operating outside the law and long-term engagement with pharmaceutical drug manufacturers, wholesalers, pharmacies, and practitioners; and (3) Community Outreach through local partnerships that empower communities to take back affected neighborhoods after enforcement actions and prevent the same problems from cropping up again.

Searchable database of evidence-based policies and programs. Rates strength of evidence of effectiveness (effective, promising or no effects). Includes relevant topics such as corrections and reentry, courts, crime and crime prevention, drugs and substance abuse, juveniles and law enforcement.

Model policy intended to provide new technological solutions to the problem of preventing and controlling the diversion and abuse of prescription drugs whose therapeutic benefits are accompanied by psychoactive effects.

The findings of a systematic review on the effectiveness of drug law enforcement to reduce drug market violence. A subscription or fee is required to obtain the full text of the article.

Task force report containing best policing practices and recommendations on how those practices can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust within six categories: building trust and legitimacy, policy and oversight, technology and social media, community policing and crime reduction, training and education, and officer wellness and safety.

Assessment of the recommendations from the “Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing” that highlights which recommendations are established best practices and which are innovations that have not yet been adequately researched.

Report that provides recommendations to the President on ways to combat the addiction crisis, including recommendations related to reducing the illicit drug supply, expanding drug courts and investing in evidence-based addiction treatment for communities and within the criminal justice system.

Report with data and information related to the impact of recreational marijuana legalization in Colorado from 2013-2016, including the increase in marijuana-impaired driving and related injuries and deaths.

Searchable database of evidence-based policies and programs. Rates strength of evidence of effectiveness (effective, promising or no effects). Includes relevant topics such as corrections and reentry, courts, crime and crime prevention, drugs and substance abuse, juveniles and law enforcement.

Research funded by the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services and the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) that analyzes OSHP patterns and practices related to search and seizure activities during traffic stops and identifies the “best practices” of OSHP troopers in an effort to better understand racial/ethnic disparities in OSHP searches and seizures.

Model policy intended to control access to chemicals, prevent chemical diversion and curb the production of illicit drugs.

Experts guidelines that include recommendations for managing the delivery of medical and mental health care in correctional systems. The Standards are the foundation of NCCHC’s accreditation program, and include five editions: jails, prisons, juvenile facilities, mental health services and opioid treatment programs.

Report that examines various evidence-based practices for screening and assessing people in the justice system who have co-occurring mental and substance use disorders, not just at initial detention, but at each stage of the criminal justice process.

TASC is a membership association of programs that provide assessment and case management services to individuals in the criminal justice system who are struggling with addiction. TASC has created a methodology that details critical elements for integrating criminal justice and substance use treatment systems, holding offenders and both systems accountable through the implementation of client-specific case management.

Review of the research literature on Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) as an evidence-based practice for reducing alcohol and other drug use in criminal justice settings.

Report that examines the opportunities and challenges associated with municipal court diversion for people living with mental illness and substance use disorder conditions. It outlines elements for effective diversion, recovery-based engagement strategies, and proportional response.

Expert consensus statement with treatment recommendations and best practice guidelines to counselors and administrators covering the full range of criminal justice settings and all the phases through which an individual progresses in the criminal justice system.

Article that identifies eight pretrial strategies that are supported by research evidence and are within the authority of state policymakers. The article also calls for careful design and evaluation of these strategies as they are implemented by states.

Evidence-based standards developed by a committee of national experts on a variety of topics relevant to drug courts, including equity and inclusion, roles and responsibilities of judges, substance use disorder treatment, multidisciplinary teams, and monitoring and evaluation.

Summarizes research findings on the effectiveness of treatment interventions and services, including in drug courts.

Evaluation of nearly 1,800 drug courts from eight states (Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina and Washington) using five-year longitudinal process, impact and cost data from adult treatment drug court programs.

Logic model for adult drug court programs to assist drug court administrators and their partners in examining the performance of their drug courts. The logic model helps to clarify the best way to use resources and what long- and short-term outcomes drug court teams should consider measuring.

Consensus recommendations on best practices for administering veterans’ treatment courts.

Consensus recommendations on best practices for administering drug courts.

Report identifying evidence-based components of successful drug court programming that may be used by program grant applicants and other stakeholders to design more effective programs.

Searchable database of evidence-based policies and programs. Rates strength of evidence of effectiveness (scientifically supported, some evidence, expert opinion, insufficient evidence, mixed evidence, evidence of ineffectiveness). Includes drug courts.

Searchable database of evidence-based policies and programs. Rates strength of evidence of effectiveness (effective, promising or no effects). Includes relevant topics such as corrections and reentry, courts, crime and crime prevention, drugs and substance abuse, juveniles and law enforcement.

Literature reviews and benefit-cost analyses of a wide variety of health and human services programs, including drug courts and drug offender sentencing alternative programs.

Manual containing final amendments to the federal sentencing guidelines, which were submitted to Congress on April 30, 2018 (effective November 1, 2018). The goal of the guidelines is to further the basic purposes of criminal punishment: deterrence, incapacitation, just punishment, and rehabilitation.

Report analyzing the factors that led to the decline in crime in the U.S. in recent decades, including criminal sentencing and social, economic, and environmental factors, such as growth in income and an aging population.

A SAMHSA key issues guide providing resources for individuals returning from jails and prisons, behavioral health providers and criminal justice practitioners, communities and local jurisdictions, and state policymakers to support re-entry.

A meta-analysis which outlines various strategies and methods that should be employed in corrections facilities to promote successful re-entry for people who use drugs.

Report that identifies five evidence-based principles guiding federal efforts to improve the correctional practices and programs that impact the lives of those who will reenter society after incarceration, including connecting formerly incarcerated people with substance use and mental health treatment.

Report that describes the best practices that correctional, community-based behavioral health, and probation and parole agencies can implement to ensure that reentry for people who have opioid addictions is safe and successful, including behavioral health treatment and recovery support services in the community.

Literature review identifying emerging trends in state Medicaid programs, including data exchange to ensure providers are notified when someone is leaving jail or prison; “in-reach” to help establish relationships between people leaving incarceration and primary care providers prior to release; strategies for addressing housing issues and other social determinants of health; and use of peer-support specialists who have experiences with incarceration.

Discussion paper that identifies key issues for policymakers to consider when seeking to facilitate easier access to mental health and substance use treatment for people leaving prison and jail and help reduce recidivism as part of a comprehensive reentry effort.

Describes Medicaid pharmacy benefit management strategies for mitigating prescription drug abuse and addresses strategies state Medicaid programs can take to increase provision of naloxone for individuals leaving prison and jail.

Report that systematically identifies empirical evidence regarding strategies, programs and practices geared towards involving offenders’ families during incarceration and reentry. The objective is to provide information that will better inform policymakers, practitioners and researchers on maintaining and strengthening appropriate family relationships during incarceration and community reintegration.

Literature reviews and benefit-cost analyses of a wide variety of health and human services programs, including the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI).

Searchable database of evidence-based policies and programs. Rates strength of evidence of effectiveness (effective, promising or no effects). Includes relevant topics such as corrections and reentry, courts, crime and crime prevention, drugs and substance abuse, juveniles and law enforcement.

Searchable database of evidence-based juvenile justice and youth prevention, intervention, and reentry policies and programs. Rates strength of evidence of effectiveness (effective, promising or no effects).

Expert consensus statement with treatment recommendations and best practice guidelines to counselors and administrators covering the full range of criminal justice settings and all the phases through which an individual progresses in the criminal justice system.

Report for state policymakers and paroling authorities with recommendations focused on the parole decision-making process, post-release supervision conditions, and the administration of the paroling authority, which include connections to addiction treatment.

Analysis of research on probation and parole systems that identifies policy gaps and evidence-based strategies to enhance public safety, decrease drug misuse and reduce incarceration.

Report that provides a framework and guidelines for the structure, implementation, and evaluation of residential reentry centers (also known as halfway houses). Recommendations focus on improving the performance and effectiveness of these centers and improving contracting for services in the community.

Report for policymakers, administrators, and service providers in the criminal justice system that introduces an evidence-based framework for prioritizing scarce resources based on assessments of individuals’ risk of committing a future crime and their treatment and support needs.

Report that identifies the principles of effective intervention drawn from research and how that translates into effective practice in community corrections. The objective is to inform policymakers, practitioners and researchers on the utilization of evidence-based practices in community corrections.

For evidence on effective addiction treatment, such as treatment that is provided in community drug treatment programs, see the Addiction Evidence Project resource page on prevention, treatment and recovery.