Drug

TheDrugCourt,establishedin2016,providesanappropriateandeffective treatment mechanismtoassist offenderswithsubstanceusedisorders.The programwasimplementedwithguidelinesfromtheNational Associationof DrugCourt Professionals'best practicestandardsandevidence-based strategies.

Drug Court Graduations

In 2022,10 graduatescompleted the treatment program,met all supervision requirements,and either found employment or enrolled in an educational program.Since the inception of Drug Court, there have been 7 graduation ceremonies.In 2022,there wasno graduation ceremonydue to the COVID-19 pandemic.The participantswho successfullycompleted the program had a graduation during court hearings.

Mandates And Sustainability

Drug Court strivesto meet the mandatesof the Drug Court Act,PublicLaw 19-14,and engagesparticipantsin a 15 to 24-month treatment program.Drug Court continuesto work closelywith membersof the CNMI Drug Court Team to ensure that accountabilityand treatment are provided in accordance with the national drug court model and the 10 keycomponentsof drug court.The Manager and case managersprovide dailysupport and coordinate substance use disorder treatment and community resources/servicesfor participants.Accountability isfacilitated bythe Drug Court Supervision Unit,established on April 18,2018,through PublicLaw 20-54.The first treatment court officers, a CommunitySupervision Officer and Compliance Officer,were hired and trained soon after the passage of the bill. The Supervision Unit ispartnerswith designated law enforcement officers.In collaboration with the Judiciary?s Marshal Service Division,Department of PublicSafety("DPS") - Drug Enforcement and Task Force,and Department of Corrections("DOC"),Drug Court providesintense community supervision and monitoring,including curfew checksand dailycheck-in byphone.

Other legislative and funding strategiesto ensure a sustainable and effective program were implemented.Drug Court sought support to expand operationsand increase evidence-based treatment servicesand wasapproved funding through local PublicLaw 20-42 and Saipan Local Law 20-24.Drug Court hasalso been awarded $909,929 in federal grantsfrom the Bureau of Justice Assistance,Drug Court DiscretionaryGrant and $181,342.21 (FY2019, FY2020,FY2021) through the Justice Assistance Grants.

Strategic Plan

Drug Court workscloselywith partnersto improve performance in keyareaswhile using limited resources. Strategicinitiativesinclude monitoring and evaluating performance and aligning effortsspecifically for Goals1,3, 4,and 6 of the Judiciary?sStrategicPlan.

Table

Goal No. 1: Fast and Fair Case Flow and Time Standards

Complete entrance protocol within 14 daysfrom referral from the Office of the AttorneyGeneral.

Ensure proper and timelydata entryof new referralsand current participants

Input data and maintain filesto ensure proper documentation of each case.

Goal No. 3: Develop and Improve Specialty Courts

Implement a data collection system to track co-occurring disorders.

Applyfor technical assistance from federal partners.

Provide training on problem-solving courtsto internal and external stakeholders

Goal No. 4: Improve Technology and Court Data Systems

Digitize new and existing case files

Goal No. 6: Community Engagement

Maintain professional partnerships with communityagencies.

Maintain accessto a case management system to store all data.

Ensure team members have accessto all relevant data.

Increase number of community presentations.

Without breaching confidentiality, encourage the involvement of other agenciesin connecting all participantsto consistent communitytrainingsand

Prioritize referralsto the proper agenciesto ensure participants' immediate needsare met and sustained in each phase of the Court program.

Drug Court Services

Drug Court received 18 referralsin 2022.The program averaged 27 active participantsand 4.5 referralsper quarter. There were 9 referralsthat were deemed unsuitable for the program,8 terminated participants,and 10 graduates. Upon completing entrance protocols,active participantsengage in a comprehensive,holisticapproach,which combinesintensive judicial interaction,aggressive community supervision,frequent drug testing,case management,and substance and alcohol treatment servicesthroughout the year.

Drug Court Case Managersare an integral part of each participant?ssuccessin the program.Acomprehensive, integrated,and coordinated community-based approach linksparticipantsto various servicesbased on individual needsand in accordance with the treatment plans.Case Managerswork closelywith providerswhile navigating each participant through each phase of the program.677case management meetingswere completed during the reporting period.There were a total of 259 referralsto various agenciesto complement the needsof each participant. The Drug Court Supervision Unit wasestablished in 2018 with the hiring of a Community Supervision Officer and

Compliance Officer.In 2019, Drug Court Supervision Unit Officerswere officiallyarmed, allowing them to conduct community supervision efforts independently.The objectives of the Supervision Unit are to ensure participant compliance, protect community,and divert participantsfrom involvement in crime.Drug Court Officersare trained to utilize evidence-based drug court standardsand research to provide a holisticapproach in addressing criminal thinking patterns.There are currently three DCLaw Enforcement Officers.During the reporting period,Drug Court maintained intense and frequent accountability measures,as illustrated in Table 29.