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. 2022 Oct;28(5):336-344.
doi: 10.1089/jchc.20.12.0116.

Female Opioid Court Participants' Narratives of Siloed Medical, Legal, and Social Service Sector Interactions to Inform Future Integrated Interventions

Catherine Cerulli  1   2 , Diane S Morse  1   3 , Melissa Hordes  4 , Jacob Bleasdale  4 , Kennethea Wilson  4 , Laura M Schwab-Reese  5 , Sarahmona M Przybyla  4
Affiliations

Female Opioid Court Participants' Narratives of Siloed Medical, Legal, and Social Service Sector Interactions to Inform Future Integrated Interventions

Catherine Cerulli et al. J Correct Health Care. 2022 Oct.

Abstract

A gap exists regarding how to design gender-specific interventions for women charged with opioid use disorder (OUD)-related crimes. National recent efforts include opioid courts. Treatment courts present opportunities for earlier intervention for women under judicial supervision. We interviewed 31 female participants in the first known opioid court so they could inform cross-sector integrated approaches to address their needs. Data reveal the complexity of participants' involvement with myriad cross-sector organizations, given the duality of their roles as simultaneous lifetime victims and as OUD-related perpetrators. Participants have difficulty trusting systems intended to help them due to systematic failures to prevent or address abuse and neglect over their lifetimes. The opioid crisis cannot be solved without an understanding of early missed intervention opportunities and a cross-sector approach.

Keywords: drug court; health care system; intergenerational trauma; legal system; opioid use disorder.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors disclosed no conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, or publication of this article.

Figures

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Recruitment consort.
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Opioid and heroin-related deaths.
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Developmentally appropriate preventive screening and assessment.
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Transdisciplinary approach to working with women simultaneously criminal justice involved and opioid use disorder patients.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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