Hattiesburg municipal court - hattiesburg behavioral health court treatment expansion - hattiesburg behavioral health court will contract with pine belt mental healthcare resources to assess potential…

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the City of Hattiesburg $361,612 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.490) to expand a behavioral health court serving misdemeanor offenders with mental health and substance use disorders.

Hattiesburg Municipal Court, through a contract with Pine Belt Mental Healthcare Resources, will provide clinical and risk assessments to identify eligible misdemeanor offenders, develop individualized treatment plans, conduct regular and random substance use testing at court appearances, and refer participants to inpatient treatment as needed. The target population comprises misdemeanor defendants with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, with historical demographics of 60 percent male and 40 percent female, average age 22–45, 60 percent African American, 75 percent unemployed, 50 percent experiencing homelessness, and 80 percent without high school completion.

The treatment team includes the judge, project director, peer recovery support specialist, clinician, recovery support specialist, psychiatrist, and evaluator, supplemented by Hattiesburg's homeless coordinator and code enforcement representative as needed. Evidence-based treatment modalities include integrated dual disorder treatment, cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, seeking safety, motivational interviewing, and medication-assisted treatment, delivered through group and individual sessions addressing assessment, insight, coping skills, cognitive strategies, and lifestyle modification.

Performance period runs through September 29, 2031, with work performed in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Hattiesburg municipal court - hattiesburg behavioral health court treatment expansion - hattiesburg behavioral health court will contract with pine belt mental healthcare resources to assess potential eligible misdemeanor offenders. An individualized treatment plan will be developed based on the results of clinical and risk assessments. Participants will be tested for substance use regularly at court appearances and randomly throughout the program. They will be referred to in patient treatment as needed, with an ultimate goal of decreasing substance use in the greater hattiesburg area. The target population will be misdemeanants who have a mental health diagnosis and/or a substance use disorder (cods). Based on historical data, our population will be a mixture of genders (60% male, 40% female); ages (average age range of 22-45); primarily african american (60%); low socioeconomic status (75% unemployed; 50% homeless); and 80% of whom did not complete high school. The city of hattiesburg has an overall population of approximately 48,800. The treatment team will include the judge, project director, peer recovery support specialist (prss), clinician, recovery support specialist (RSS), psychiatrist, and evaluator. At times, the city of hattiesburg's homeless coordinator and a representative of hattiesburg code enforcement will be added to the team. The proposed evidence-based treatment practices include integrated dual disorder treatment (iddt), cognitive- behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), seeking safety, motivational interviewing (MI), and medication-assisted treatment (mat). Group and individual sessions within each treatment modality will address five categories of strategies: (i.e. assessment, insight, coping skills, cognitive strategies, and lifestyle modification) using a variety of techniques, including talk therapy, structured writing, guided imagery, role play, skills building, problem solving, relapse rehearsal, and safety planning. Individualized recovery support plans will be developed collaboratively to address participants' biopsychosocial needs. Examples of supports include, but are not limited to, 12-step self-help groups, housing assistance, supported employment, health care, entitlement benefits, and transportation. The treatment team will hold meetings to review progress, and treatment plans will be revised as needed. The project goal is to decrease substance use of a minimum of 200 hbhc participants with cods. The objectives are: 1) a minimum of 40 individuals per year will be screened and assessed to have a COD; 2) by the end of the project period, a minimum of 5 court participants with an opiate and/or alcohol use disorder will have been enrolled in mat; 3) by the end of the project period, a minimum of 20 court participants with COD will have participated in integrated residential treatment; 4) by the end of the project period, a minimum of 200 court participants will have accessed integrated treatment for their cods; and 5) 100% of court participants' recovery support services will be guided by an individualized service plan (ISP) that identifies wraparound supports.