The NDCI Veterans’ Treatment Court Mentor Court Program

 

The National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) and its professional services branch, the National Drug Court Institute (NDCI), is proud to announce the formation of the new NDCI Veterans’ Treatment Courts Mentor Court Program. Developed in collaboration with the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Mentor Veterans’ Treatment Courts will play a significant role in Veterans' Treatment Court training, technical assistance and research.



What is a Veterans’ Treatment Court?

Veterans’ Treatment Courts are hybrid Drug and Mental Health Courts that use the Drug Court model to serve veterans struggling with addiction, serious mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders. They promote sobriety, recovery and stability through a coordinated response that involves cooperation and collaboration with the traditional partners found in Drug and Mental Health Courts, with the addition of the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs health care networks, the Veterans’ Benefits Administration, volunteer veteran mentors and veterans and veterans’ family support organizations.



What is a NDCI Mentor Veterans’ Treatment Court?

Since its inception, NADCP/ NDCI has highlighted Drug Court programs which exhibit exemplary practice to serve as educational and training sites for the Drug Court and broader justice field and public. Continuing in this tradition, NDCI Mentor Veterans’ Treatment Courts will serve as model court programs for individuals and court teams interested in starting a Veterans’ Treatment Court by hosting independent visitors and NDCI training programs annually. In addition, NDCI Mentor Veterans’ Treatment Court will serve as national “evaluation platforms” for outcome studies on the model as well as for the development, identification, and testing of Veterans’ Treatment Court best practices.



Benefits of Being a Mentor Veterans’ Treatment Court

NDCI Mentor Veterans’ Treatment Courts will be nationally recognized by NDCI as programs demonstrating exemplary Veterans’ Treatment Court practices. They will also be provided with training and materials to assist in hosting visits to their court. In addition, each Mentor Court will receive training and technical assistance in order reach an operational level that would allow them to be readily available for research leading to the development of state of the art practices. Each Mentor Veterans’ Treatment Court will receive two registration waivers for Veterans’ Treatment Court personnel to attend the Annual NADCP Drug Court Training Conference. Finally, each Mentor Veterans’ Treatment Court will receive a $1,200 stipend to cover costs associated with hosting visitors to their court.



Responsibilities of Mentor Veterans’ Treatment Courts

Mentor Veterans’ Treatment Courts will commit to being a Mentor Court for a period of three years. In order to serve in their capacity as a Veterans’ Treatment Court training site, programs will be required to maintain their programs operations at an exemplary level. NDCI will assist in this process through technical assistance, training, and periodic site visits to the program. In addition, it is likely that the Mentor Court programs will take part in evaluation projects seeking to measure national outcomes and to identify and develop improved program practices that can then be disseminated to the field.



How will Mentor Veterans’ Treatment Courts be Selected?

The NDCI Mentor Veterans’ Treatment Court selection process will be a two-tiered process. First, interested Veterans’ Treatment Court programs must submit an “Initial Application” (attached). Veterans’ Treatment Court program applications will be rated based upon objective criteria by a group of peer reviewers selected by NDCI and approved by CSAT. Second, the highest ranked programs in four identified geographic areas will then be eligible for a detailed review of the program operations that includes a site visit from NDCI.

Applicant programs will be evaluated in a variety of areas, including:

 

  • Length of court operation: The Veterans’ Treatment Court must be in operation a minimum of one year)
  • Current program operations
  • Utilization of effective treatment practices
  • Current client selection and eligibility practices
  • Overall program effectiveness
  • Geographical location
  • Suitability as a NDCI training site

 


The NDCI Mentor Veterans’ Treatment Court Network will be divided into four geographical areas. Only one Veterans’ Treatment Court per area will be selected for a total of four Mentor Veterans’ Treatment Courts nationwide. The four geographical areas are as follows:

 

West: Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington

 

Central: Arkansas, Colorado, Indian Nations, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming

 

North: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin

 

East: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia

 

For these and other important details, please download the Mentor Court application