PIMA COUNTY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE RECEIVES $2 MILLION GRANT FOR DRUG COURTS AND DRUG TREATMENT ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM

PIMA COUNTY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE RECEIVES $2 MILLION GRANT FOR DRUG COURTS AND DRUG TREATMENT ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM

TUCSON, AZ - Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall is proud to announce the Pima County Attorney’s Office has been awarded a $2 million grant to continue and expand programs offering drug treatment as an alternative to incarceration.

The $2 million grant awarded by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will be provided over a five-year period and will be administered by the Pima County Attorney’s Office in collaboration with the Pima County Superior Court, the Consolidated Justice Courts, and Tucson City Court.

“Drug courts and alternative to prison programs are making a positive difference in people’s lives and in our community. I am honored that my office was selected to receive this grant and look forward to working in collaboration with justice and community partners to continue this important work,” said LaWall.

The funding will be used to support several individual specialty courts including the Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison program, standard felony Drug Court, and a new Consolidated Misdemeanor Problem-Solving Court (CMPS or Compass Court).

The Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison program, also known as D.T.A.P., was started in 2011 by LaWall in an effort to offer an alternative to prison for non-violent, non-dangerous individuals with serious substance use disorders who had repetitive felony convictions. Since its inception nearly eight years ago, more than 300 participants have received intensive treatment, assistance with housing and employment, and other wraparound recovery support services, as well as court supervision through the D.T.A.P. program. According to an independent evaluation done by The University of Arizona, D.T.A.P. saves taxpayers approximately $1 million a year and participants have a recidivism rate of less than half of those who go to prison.

“D.T.A.P. and the other specialty court initiatives funded via this grant contribute to my mission to improve community safety, reduce taxpayer spending, and save lives, said LaWall.”

This new SAMHSA grant, effective October 1, 2018, will ensure funding for ongoing services provided to D.T.A.P. participants, as well as similar services for standard Drug Court participants on probation through Pima County Superior Court.

In addition, this grant will fund the implementation of a new Compass Court to serve individuals suffering from substance use disorders (drug addiction) and other mental health issues who have repetitive misdemeanor convictions. This new problem-solving court is an innovative, collaborative project among the County Attorney’s Office, Tucson City Court, Pima County Justice Court, and Pima County Superior Court. It will be led by the Pima County Attorney’s Office which has dedicated a full-time program director, Kate Lawson, to oversee all the SAMHSA-funded specialty court programs.

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