This article reports on drug court participants’ perspectives regarding the need for wraparound care, including housing and employment aid, and demonstrate the role of health disparities in the recovery process.
This article has the goal of providing data pertinent to supplement existing evidence-based practices dealing with services and supports for drug court participants; it discusses what rural and urban drug court participants reported as their major extrinsic and intrinsic barriers and facilitators to recovery and demonstrates the role of health disparities in the recovery process. The research study revealed that participants who did not specifically receive help from Recovery Support Services (RSS) ended up spending more days in treatment, were less likely to be employed in the year following drug court, and had higher rates of recidivism. Focus groups conducted with female drug court participants noted criminal justice involvement as a barrier to healthcare, employment, and housing. The article discusses the study’s sample population, research methodology, and findings, noting differences between rural and urban drug courts, and research results, along with discussion of possible solutions for improving drug court impact and outcomes.