Star court is a post-adjudication DWI/DUI court operating through the craighead county district court

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) awarded a $1,000,000 Project Grant under the Treatment Court Discretionary Grant Program (CFDA 16.585) to Craighead County, Arkansas to enhance the operations of the STAR DWI/DUI Court. The STAR Court is a post-adjudication DWI/DUI treatment court that serves up to 30 high-risk, high-need participants through a 16-18 month program. Grant funds will be used to expand the court's capacity to serve an additional 10 participants annually and improve alignment with National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) best practice standards in several areas. This includes enhancing access, treatment, services, and outcomes for the Hispanic community, which has been historically underserved. The grant will support activities like hiring specialized staff, providing training, improving access to treatment and recovery resources, conducting outreach, enhancing case management, and strengthening program evaluation.

The court currently serves a maximum of 30 participants, who complete a set 16-month program, which can be extended to a maximum of 18 months. Compared to qualifying offenders who do not enter the program, star court graduates are 30% less likely to be RE-arrested for any reason and 50% less likely to receive a subsequent DWI. Pursuant to this proposal, star court is requesting $1,000,000.00 in category 2: enhancement funding to enhance its operation to better comply with nadcp best practice standards i (pages 1, 6, 9), II (pages 1-2, 6-11), VI (pages 7, 10, 12, 16), VII (pages 1, 6, 10, 15), VIII (pages 1, 6, 9, 10), and x (pages 1, 10, 19-20). Over the last 4 years, craighead county averaged 267 DWI/DUI arrests annually. While the gender and race of offenders remained consistent, the number of hispanic DWI/DUI offenders increased by almost 50%. Star will promote racial equity and the removal of barriers to access and opportunity for the hispanic community, which has been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by inequality. Star courts target population is individuals with alcohol- and drug-related driving offenses who qualify as high risk for reoffending without intervention and as high need for treatment to make a change in behavior. Through this proposal, star court seeks to enhance is operation and extend its reach by creating mechanisms to expand the courts capacity and to improve the programs quality of service, effectiveness, and fidelity to nadcp best practice standards. The court anticipates adding an additional 10 participants to its maximum number, allowing IT to serve approximately 160 individuals with grant funds. Star court is wholly committed to providing a full range of treatment options, including all types of mat services, and no eligible referral will be denied entry into star court due to the use of prescribed FDA-approved medications for treating substance use disorder.