The fort bend county community courts initiative submitted by the fort bend county district attorneys office requests $900,000 in category 2 under the BJA community courts solicitation to enhance…

The Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office received a $888,388 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the Treatment Court Discretionary Grant Program (CFDA 16.585). The funding will enhance the county's existing substance abuse treatment court programs, including the Misdemeanor Treatment Court, Felony Drug Court, and Expedited Narcotics Docket, and expand access to evidence-based supervision and treatment services for up to 120 non-violent adult defendants with substance use disorders in Fort Bend County, Texas. Key activities include establishing a Community Courts Advisory Group, addressing gaps in the continuum of care, and implementing a continuous quality improvement program through data collection and analysis. The award will utilize the validated Texas Risk Assessment System to screen and recommend appropriate levels of care for participants.

The fort bend county community courts initiative submitted by the fort bend county district attorneys office requests $900,000 in category 2 under the BJA community courts solicitation to enhance the current court program and expand access to evidence-based supervision and treatment services for defendants of fort bend countys three substance abuse and treatment dockets including the misdemeanor treatment court, the felony drug court, and the expedited narcotics docket (end) program. The program targets adult defendants in fort bend county, texas, who are addicted to alcohol or other drugs and are at substantial risk to RE-offend or fail to complete less intensive dispositions, such as standard probation. All defendants are nonviolent offenders charged with a misdemeanor or felony where drugs are the underlying factor of the charges. Project activities include establishing the fort bend community courts advisory group, addressing gaps in the continuum of care for defendants in the probably solving dockets who have substance use and CO-occurring disorders, and implementing a continuous quality improvement program through data collection and analysis to address disparities and implement program improvements. The fort bend county community court program will serve an estimated 120 participants using the texas risk assessment system (tras), a validated and standardized risk assessment tool utilized by the fort bend county community correction and supervision department (adult probation), who will be conducting these assessments and making recommendations for participants. While a variety of information is gathered, including criminal history, family and social supports, and mental health, the licensed probation officer only reports a summary of the assessment focusing on treatment recommendations and recommended level of care.