Lincoln, Nebraska

Overview

The Lancaster County Adult Drug Court (LCADC) is administered through the Lancaster County Department of Community Corrections. LCADC is a post-plea program that strives to promptly screen applicants using validated risk/need assessment tools and a structured screening process to determine eligibility.

Admission and Target Population

LCADC targets high-risk/high-need individuals charged with nonviolent felony offenses who are in the justice system as a result of their substance use and in need of a highly structured, intensively supervised program to address these behavioral health needs. The structured screening process determines the risk/need level of each applicant and identifies other less-restrictive programming options for individuals deemed not in need of the level of programming provided by LCADC. Alternative programming options include general diversion for low-risk/low-need individuals, intensive supervised diversion for high-risk/low-need individuals, and treatment diversion for low-risk/high-need individuals. Other options include mental health diversion and veterans treatment diversion.

Program Structure

LCADC is a five-phase program that last a minimum of 18 months. Each phase is structured to focus on the participants’ proximal and distal goals and is individualized based on criminogenic needs. LCADC delivers support and rehabilitation through individualized behavioral health treatment. LCADC also provides other services such as cognitive behavioral therapy, family support, education/employment services, housing, and transportation, and makes referrals to outside community resources. LCADC partners with multiple community agencies, programs, and services for the purpose of building community relationships that enhance the program’s effectiveness and support each participant’s long-term success.

The Matrix Model Intensive Outpatient Treatment intervention is administered by Lancaster County Department of Community Corrections clinical professionals and is available to all program participants if the independent substance use evaluation indicates this is the appropriate level of care. If a higher level of care is recommended, a referral is made to one of three inpatient treatment partners. The clinical professionals on staff are dually licensed and provide immediate assistance with need including substance use, mental health, trauma, relationships, and behavioral health.

In addition to supervision and treatment programming, LCADC provides two important additional support services: 1) a mental health specialist who assists participants with employment, housing, transportation, medication management, and accessing any state or federal assistance they may be eligible for, and 2) a peer support recovery specialist who is a graduate of the LCADC and whose life experiences in recovery provide encouragement and support in ways supervision and clinical professionals cannot.