A Diagnostic Study of the Trinidad and Tobago Drug Treatment Court
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A Diagnostic Study of the Trinidad and Tobago Drug Treatment Court Organization of American States Findings and Recommendations Secretariat for Multidimensional Security Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission This evaluation (process) was carried out in coordination with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and under the leadership of the Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (ES/CICAD) of the Organization of American States (OAS), in association with the Center for Court Innovation (CCI). CICAD receives institutional and financial support from the Government of Canada through the Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program (ACCBP). The contents expressed in this document are presented exclusively for informational purposes and do not necessarily represent the opinion or ocial position of the Organization of American States, its General Secretariat or its member states. Drug Treatment Court A Diagnostic Study of the Trinidad and Tobago ISBN 978-0-8270-6855-1 A Diagnostic Study of the Trinidad and Tobago Drug Treatment Court Findings and Recommendations Coordinated by: Written by: With the financial support of: OAS Cataloging-in-Publication Data Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission. Executive Secretariat. A diagnostic study of the Trinidad and Tobago Drug Treatment Court : findings and recommendations / Produced by the Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission and the Center for Court Innovation. v. ; cm (OAS. Official records ; OEA/Ser.L/XIV.6.69) ISBN 978-0-8270-6855-1 1. Drug courts--Trinidad and Tobago. 2. Drug abuse--Treatment--Law and legislation--Trinidad and Tobago. I. Title. II. Center for Court Innovation. III. Drug Treatment Court Program for the Americas. IV. Organization of American States. Secretariat for Multidimensional Security. V. Series. OEA/Ser.L/XIV.6.69 From the Organization of American States Luis Almagro, Secretary General Ambassador Nestor Mendez, Assistant Secretary General Dr. Farah Urrutia, Secretary for Multidimensional Security Ambassador Adam E. Namm, Executive Secretary, Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) Angela Crowdy, Assistant Executive Secretary, Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) Authors - Lead Researchers CCI Project Director ES/CICAD/OAS Editorial Committee Suvi Hynynen Lambson Antonio Lomba Maurandi Camila Bartolo Annie Schachar Antonio Lomba Maurandi Amanda Cissner Coordinators of Site Visit Luisa Fernanda Neira ES/CICAD/OAS Luis Suarez-Isaza Luis Suarez-Isaza Jeffrey E. Zinsmeister Tania Gordillo Graphic Design Maria Montas ISBN 978-0-8270-6855-1 COPYRIGHT© (2019) Organization of American States. All rights reserved under International and Panamerican Conventions. No portion of the content of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, nor by any electronic or mechanical means, totally or partially, without the express consent of the Organization. This evaluation (process) was carried out in coordination with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and under the leadership of the Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (ES/CICAD) of the Organization of American States (OAS), in association with the Center for Court Innovation (CCI). CICAD receives institutional and financial support from the Government of Canada through the Anti- Crime Capacity Building Program (ACCBP). The contents expressed in this document are presented exclusively for informational purposes and do not necessarily represent the opinion or official position of the Organization of American States, its General Secretariat or its member states. Table of Contents Introduction ...................................... I Chapter 4. Preface ....................................................... III Treatment ............................................. 23 Letter from the Chief Justice of The Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago .................................... V Treatment Model ...................................... 24 Acknowledgements from CCI ................... VII Social Reintegration ................................... 27 Key Findings: Treatment & Executive Summary .................................. VIII Other Services ........................................... 27 Chapter 1. Chapter 5. Introduction & Methodology .................... 1 Deterrence ............................................. 29 Project Background ..................................... 1 Monitoring ................................................. 30 The Trinidad & Tobago Model .................... 2 Legal Consequences .................................. 32 The Drug Treatment Court Model .............. 3 Interim Sanctions & Incentives .................. 34 Diagnostic Evaluation Framework ............... 6 Key Findings: Deterrence ............................. 34 Evaluation Methods .................................... 6 Chapter 6. Chapter 2. Procedural Justice ................................... 35 Collaboration ......................................... 9 Understanding: Program Transparency ..... 35 The Drug Treatment Court Team ................ 9 Judicial Status Hearings ............................. 36 The Steering Committee .......................... 11 Key Findings: Procedural Justice ................. 37 Key Findings: Collaboration ..................... 12 Chapter 7. Chapter 3. Monitoring & Evaluation ......................... 38 Screening & Assessment ......................... 13 Defining Goals & The Risk-Needs-Responsivity Model ........ 13 Performance Measures ............................. 39 Target Population ..................................... 14 Program Data & Evaluation ........................ 39 Case Identification & Referral ................... 18 Key Findings: Monitoring & Evaluation .............................................. 40 Key Findings: Screening & Assessment ..... 22 Chapter 8. Appendices Strengths & Recommendations ............... 41 Appendix A. Drug Court Policy Survey .......................... 58 Strengths of the Trinidad and Tobago Model ............................................ 41 Appendix B. Staffing Observation Forms ....................... 90 Recommendations ..................................... 41 Conclusion ................................................ 51 Appendix C. Courtroom Observation Forms ................. 93 References ............................................. 53 Introduction In order to improve public security in the Hemisphere, the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security (SMS) of the Organization of American States (OAS) recognizes the need to promote policies and dialogue on drugs based on public health and human rights, and consider evidence-based approaches. These policies—to which all OAS member states agreed as part of the OAS’ Hemispheric Drug Strategy and Plan of Action 2016-2020—include alternatives to incarceration for individuals who have committed a minor criminal offense due to a substance use disorder. These measures help protect human rights, prevent violence, and improve the efficiency of the criminal justice and public health systems. The Drug Treatment Court (DTC) model, in its various forms, is an excellent example of this type of policy. It represents an alternative to the traditional criminal justice system, and aims to prevent incarceration of certain offenders whose criminal activity is related to a substance use disorder. The DTC model allows these individuals to receive voluntary, comprehensive substance abuse treatment and social reintegration services. When these programs follow evidence-based practices and quality control standards, they reduce criminal recidivism, optimize use of public funds, protect human rights, and help participants recover from their substance use disorder—which often has devastating effects for the person consuming drugs, their family, and their communities. More than two decades of academic research support this conclusion, giving the DTC model an extremely solid scientific foundation. To date, fifteen countries from across the region are exploring or implementing the DTC model. Their success depends largely on rigorous monitoring and evaluation during development and implementation of DTCs. Due to this need, the Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission has consulted with subject-matter experts and created a framework for monitoring and evaluation that OAS member states may use. This framework aims to facilitate the review of current DTC processes and allows for future impact evaluations. The first process evaluation based on this framework, which studied a DTC in Guadalupe, Nuevo León, Mexico, was successfully completed in 2013. Additionally, an independent study of six countries from the region (Barbados, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Panama, Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago) was carried out from the second half of 2017 to early 2018, in collaboration with the A Diagnostic Study of the Trinidad and Tobago Drug Treatment Court I Center for Court Innovation (CCI). This study examined the degree to which each of the programs was implementing evidence-based policies and practices, with the overall goal of improving their results. We appreciate the institutional openness and buy-in that each of the participating countries provided to facilitate this evaluation. We hope that it also allows decision-makers and DTC program managers to strengthen their programs, identify areas where improvements can be made, and provide useful evidence to the scientific