SCR 9 - Task Force on Therapeutic Courts Summary

• Creates a 10-member Task Force on Therapeutic Courts in the legislative branch with representatives from the Senate, House, judiciary, court system, Department of Law, Public Defender Agency, Department of Health and Social Services, Department of Corrections, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, and one person who completed a therapeutic court program

• Task force shall examine the therapeutic court model, substance abuse rates in criminal offenses, costs to the criminal justice system, effectiveness of prior policies, and implementation challenges in Alaska and other states

• Task force shall evaluate and recommend approaches to enhance current therapeutic courts, employ full-time therapeutic court attorneys, provide culturally appropriate and Alaska Native treatment resources, establish screening criteria, expand program capacity, and expand therapeutic courts to rural communities

• Task force shall implement data collection procedures tracking program offerings, completion rates, criminal charges, attendance rates, recidivism rates, noncompletion reasons, criminal justice costs, and emergency room costs

• Task force begins meetings in July 2020, terminates on January 18, 2021, and must submit final report with findings and recommendations to the legislature