Lone Star Justice Alliance Addresses House Select Committee on Opioids and Substance Abuse in the Criminal Justice System

Lone Star Justice Alliance founder and lawyer Elizabeth Henneke (right) spoke to the House Select Committee of the 86th Texas Legislature on November 12 on Opioids and Substance abuse. Per the report, “Ms. Henneke recommends Texas adopt alternatives to incarceration that redirect resources from the criminal justice system to public health social services to better address the needs of those with a SUD. With community services, all can benefit, and not just individuals involved in criminal justice.”

Other elements to address substance abuse in the criminal justice system:

• Intensive, Individualized Case Management: Research shows that behavior change is attached to one's own values.
• Risk-Needs-Responsivity Structure: The risk principle advises services and supervision be applied in direct proportion to an individual's criminogenic risk. The need principle promotes the administration of treatment and programming according to individuals' assessed needs that are amenable to change. The responsivity principle states that interventions should be tailored to an individual's learning style, level of motivation, abilities, and strengths so that services are delivered in a way youth will be most receptive
• Specialized Skill Training with Directed Practice: An evidence-based principle suggesting that cognitive-behavioral techniques and "social learning" should be a central part of treatment programming.
• Engage Ongoing Support in Natural Communities Through Restorative Justice: Research shows connecting individuals with prosocial activities in their own community promotes positive behavior. Restorative justice and harm reduction initiatives include support networks that bring individuals into moral community through accountability to bear the weight of their actions.
• Incentive-Based Behavior Response System: Positive reinforcement coupled with a set of clear boundaries are effective in supporting sustainable behavior change and developing consequential thinking.
• Measure Processes and Practices and Provide Outcome Feedback: Interventions must be consistently tracked and evaluated to be proven successful, therefore, there is a need for programs to collect data on an ongoing basis, conduct rigorous analysis of procedures and outcomes, and regularly manage performance by providing feedback

https://house.texas.gov/_media/pdf/committees/reports/85interim/Interim-Report-Select-Committee-on-Opioids-Substance-Abuse-2018.pdf

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