group therapy during court-ordered treatment in Massachusetts

Court-Ordered Treatment in Massachusetts: Drug Court, Probation & Outpatient Programs

A specialized court system in Massachusetts allows certain nonviolent offenders to have their sentences deferred if they complete an addiction treatment program and meet other requirements. What happens in court-ordered drug treatment in Massachusetts, who is eligible to participate, and does this approach actually work?

Lake Avenue Recovery Center offers comprehensive, personalized outpatient treatment to help adults end their use of addictive drugs and build a foundation for a healthier future in recovery.

Learn more about drug treatment in Massachusetts or verify your insurance now.

Understanding Court-Ordered Drug Treatment in Massachusetts

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 85% of people who are currently imprisoned in the United States either have an active substance use disorder (addiction) or were jailed for a crime that involved drugs or drug use.

The concept of drug treatment courts (DTCs) began to arise in the 1980s, as drug-related arrests began to increase precipitously throughout the nation. The basic idea for this effort was twofold: to ease the strain on the judicial system and to reduce recidivism by providing certain offenders with the opportunity to get treatment instead of being sent to prison.

The first DTC opened in 1989 in Florida’s Miami-Dade County. Today, there are more than 4,000 drug treatment courts in the U.S. The specifics of each court, as well as what the system is called, varies from state to state. In Massachusetts, DTCs are referred to as recovery/drug courts.

As described on the state’s website, features of Massachusetts recovery/drug courts include:

The system is designed for offenders who need drug treatment, but who are unlikely to seek it on their own and likely to re-offend if they don’t get help.
In addition to the judge, participants typically include a probation officer, clinician, coordinator, defense counsel, prosecution, and community justice support center representative.
The clinician is a masters-level professional who coordinates assessments, treatment placement, ancillary counseling, case management, and outreach services.
Offenders must agree to mandatory treatment, intensive supervised probation, and random drug testing.
Offenders must also attend frequent status hearings with the judge to review their progress.
Care is offered by community-based treatment providers, including those who offer medication-assisted treatment (MAT).

Currently, recovery/drug court sessions in Massachusetts are conducted in 30 district courts and four municipal courts located throughout the state. These locations include the district court in Worcester, the city that is also home to Lake Avenue Recovery Center.

Who Can Be Sent to Court-Ordered Drug Treatment in Massachusetts?

Eligibility for drug court in Massachusetts is determined on a case-by-case basis. But generally speaking, this opportunity is designed for individuals who:

Committed a nonviolent offense
Have not been charged with trafficking large amounts of drugs
Do not have prior convictions for violent offenses
Have a diagnosed or acknowledged substance use disorder (addiction)
Are willing to participate in the program

If an offender successfully completes court-ordered treatment in Massachusetts, their charges may be reduced or dismissed, or their probation may be closed.

Failing to complete treatment, missing sessions, testing positive on a drug screen, or other violations may result in the participant being immediately sent to jail.

What Happens in Outpatient Court-Ordered Drug Treatment?

The goal of court-ordered drug treatment in Massachusetts is to connect offenders with the programming that will best prepare them to end their substance use and live a healthier, law-abiding life in recovery.

This focus on personalized solutions means that the type of program a person attends and the specific services they receive can vary considerably from one person to the next.

Individuals who do not require round-the-clock care and supervision may be ordered to complete an outpatient program.

Depending on each person’s history and needs, court-ordered outpatient drug treatment in Massachusetts may include elements such as:

Please note that this is by no means a comprehensive list of every service that individuals can receive during treatment provided through the Massachusetts recovery/drug courts. But it is a representative example of the therapies that have proved to be effective at helping people whose lives have been disrupted by addiction and co-occurring mental health concerns.

Is Court-Ordered Drug Treatment Effective?

Perhaps the most important question about court-ordered drug treatment is, does it work?

In the early 2000s, the National Institute of Justice funded an extensive study called the Multi-Site Adult Drug Court Evaluation to answer this question.

Part of that study included interviews with a random sampling of offenders:

A total of 1,781 offenders were interviewed from 23 drug courts and six comparison sites in eight states.
The interviewees included 1,156 drug court participants and 625 comparison group members.
They were interviewed three times: at baseline, after six months, and after 18 month.

Results from these interviews, which were published 2011, demonstrated that drug court participants outperformed their comparison counterparts in several key areas:

Past substance use: Drug court participants were “significantly less likely” to use drugs after completing treatment. During their 18-month interviews, 44% of those who completed drug court said they hadn’t used substances in the previous year. Among the comparison group, only 24% had remained drug-free in the previous year.
Current substance use: At the 18-month point, all interviewees took oral fluid tests for substance use. Within the drug court group, 29% tested positive. Comparison group members had a 46% positive rate.
Any crime: Drug court participants were also significantly less likely to have committed a crime in the year preceding their 18-month interview. 60% of drug court participants reported no past-year crimes, in contrast to 47% of the comparison group.
Number of crimes: Among those who told interviewers they had committed crimes in the past year, drug court participants reported 50% fewer criminal acts than did those in the comparison group.
Other outcomes: Drug court participants experienced fewer family conflicts and were significantly less likely to report a need for employment, educational, and financial services than were those in the comparison group.

Find Drug Treatment in Massachusetts

Lake Avenue Recovery Center offers customized outpatient programming for adults who have become addicted to alcohol and other drugs. We also serve clients with anxiety, depression, and other co-occurring mental health concerns.

Treatment options at our drug rehab in Massachusetts include a high-intensity outpatient program and an intensive outpatient program (IOP) with an evening option. In each program, you can expect to receive personalize services and compassionate support from a team of professionals who are truly invested in your success.

To learn more call 508-794-4400 or verify your insurance now.