Area 39th Circuit Court awarded drug court grant worth almost $2 million

Court snags one of only 20 grants in U.S. for drug treatment; court covers Lawrence, Barry and Stone counties
The 39th Circuit Court has been awarded a grant worth nearly $2 million for its Adult Drug Treatment Court programs from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The grant was written in January by Chrissy Fortner, 39th Circuit administrator, Dr. Vickie Luttrell, professor of psychology at Drury University, and Dr. Jana Bufkin, associate professor of criminology at Drury University. Luttrell and Bufkin will serve as project evaluators.
Fortner said the funds will be used to expand the services provided by the adult drug court program.
“This was one of only 20 grants awarded in the United States, and it is the fifth consecutive grant awarded to the 39th Circuit since 2010,” she said. “The funding will be used to increase access and availability of Adult Treatment Drug Court services, to include medication-assisted treatment, basic medical preventative services, dental services, Hepatitis/HIV testing, and recovery housing. The population of focus is repeat felony offenders diagnosed with a substance-use disorder (SUD) who demonstrate high clinical need and high criminogenic risk upon screening. The program will serve 80 individuals annually and 400 individuals through the five-year life of the grant.”
Fortner said that the Adult Drug Treatment Court program has proven to be much more effective than incarceration as a way of handling those who do drugs. She cited data from the drug court which showed graduates of the court have an “estimated 63-percent increase in employment status” for drug court participants and that “75-percent of successful graduates never see another pair of handcuffs.”
“According to the Missouri Department of Corrections, the average rate of recidivism for individuals released from prison is 60-percent,” she said. “Treatment Court is not only more cost effective than incarceration, but individuals are equipped with the skills they need to establish and adhere to a sober, productive, and law-abiding lifestyle.
 Many of our graduates become guest speakers at graduations and conferences, lead recovery groups, and plan events for the recovery community.”
Fortner added that the grant will only increase the drug court’s success rate.
“The funding will allow for more services and support to be offered to participants circuit-wide, which will bolster our holistic approach to the recovery process,” she said.
Scott Sifferman, Division One associate judge for the 39th Circuit in Lawrence County, agreed.
“The funding allows our treatment courts to effectively integrate evidence-based substance abuse treatment, mandatory drug testing, sanctions and incentives, and transitional services in judicially supervised court settings that have jurisdiction over offenders to reduce recidivism and substance abuse,” he said.
The 39th Circuit Court has adult drug treatment court programs in Barry, Lawrence and Stone counties. Stone County’s program is in its 15th year, Barry County is in its 11th year, and Lawrence County is in its eighth year.