Treatment Courts in the National Spotlight

Every day, treatment courts around the country generate positive media coverage. Recently, several national stories highlighted treatment courts and exposed millions to your life-saving work. With National Drug Court Month right around the corner, we invite you to take a look and think about how your program may engage the media during May. Stay tuned for the release of the 2018 Drug Court Month Field kit which will be full of helpful tips and resources.

BuzzFeed: “This Town Is At The Center Of The US Opioid Crisis. Here’s The Story Of An Average Day In Its ‘Drug Court.'”

Reporter Dan Vergano spent a day in the Cabell County Drug Court, recently featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary “Heroin(e)” about solutions to the opioid crisis ravaging Huntington, West Virginia:

“On the ground in Huntington, the reality…is far less dramatic, and focused on treating addiction as a disease instead of a crime. Drug courts are a way of chipping away at the [opioid crisis], with about half of their participants graduating, and the majority of graduates staying clean for years.” Read the full story.

Megyn Kelly Today: “Meet a tough judge who takes a tender approach with drug-addicted moms”

Megyn Kelly sits down with Judge Duane Slone and Tennessee recovery court graduate Raven Mason to discuss the program’s unique approach providing treatment and safe housing for pregnant women struggling with addiction.

VICE News: “A Native American tribe is using traditional culture to fight addiction”

Video cameras followed Gabe Stewart on his last day in a Maine tribal healing to wellness court: “Recognizing that issues with substance abuse in native communities often arise from intergenerational trauma, the Penobscot Nation attempts to reacquaint criminal drug offenders with tribal traditions and cultural practices to help them make a full recovery.”