Evaluating the Effectiveness of Restorative Justice Rehabilitative Services for Mothers Diagnosed with Substance Use Disorder
Location
Culp Room 217
Start Date
4-6-2022 9:00 AM
End Date
4-6-2022 9:15 AM
Faculty Sponsor’s Department
Community & Behavioral Health
Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor
Robert Pack
Additional Sponsors
Dr. Megan Quinn
Competition Type
Non-Competitive
Type
Boland Symposium
Project's Category
Public Health
Abstract or Artist's Statement
Substance Use Disorder (SUD) has plagued families of rural Appalachia for many years, perpetuating involvement in the criminal justice system as well as generational trauma for people diagnosed with SUD as well as their children. This points to the necessity of a trauma-informed, restorative-justice based framework for rehabilitative services to most effectively heal families, address trauma, and re-integrate people diagnosed with SUD into society. A restorative justice-based program would provide health care services for addiction and any comorbid mental health disorders as well as teach parents how to properly provide for themselves and their families, manage finances, obtain employment, and further education. Current rehabilitative program structures were evaluated in the literature, and it was found that typically, rehabilitative programs provide either strictly addiction services or mental health services, but not both. It was also found that the criminal justice system tends to sentence to 28-day inpatient rehabilitative services, which provides people diagnosed with SUD an opportunity to achieve sobriety and establish some stability; however, with little or no follow up, these people are significantly more likely to relapse. These findings were compared with the structure of Ballad Health Strong Futures, an outpatient addiction services and behavioral health clinic located in Greeneville, TN. It was found that rehabilitative care structures that addresses trauma, addiction, and aspects of daily living such as parenting, finances, education, and employment provides clients with the tools and stability they need to be successful in their respective recovery journeys. This work will provide significant insight for the creation and implementation of other substance use clinics across the country and encourage them to address addiction, mental health, and aspects of daily living to promote clients' success and break cycles of generational trauma.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Restorative Justice Rehabilitative Services for Mothers Diagnosed with Substance Use Disorder
Culp Room 217
Substance Use Disorder (SUD) has plagued families of rural Appalachia for many years, perpetuating involvement in the criminal justice system as well as generational trauma for people diagnosed with SUD as well as their children. This points to the necessity of a trauma-informed, restorative-justice based framework for rehabilitative services to most effectively heal families, address trauma, and re-integrate people diagnosed with SUD into society. A restorative justice-based program would provide health care services for addiction and any comorbid mental health disorders as well as teach parents how to properly provide for themselves and their families, manage finances, obtain employment, and further education. Current rehabilitative program structures were evaluated in the literature, and it was found that typically, rehabilitative programs provide either strictly addiction services or mental health services, but not both. It was also found that the criminal justice system tends to sentence to 28-day inpatient rehabilitative services, which provides people diagnosed with SUD an opportunity to achieve sobriety and establish some stability; however, with little or no follow up, these people are significantly more likely to relapse. These findings were compared with the structure of Ballad Health Strong Futures, an outpatient addiction services and behavioral health clinic located in Greeneville, TN. It was found that rehabilitative care structures that addresses trauma, addiction, and aspects of daily living such as parenting, finances, education, and employment provides clients with the tools and stability they need to be successful in their respective recovery journeys. This work will provide significant insight for the creation and implementation of other substance use clinics across the country and encourage them to address addiction, mental health, and aspects of daily living to promote clients' success and break cycles of generational trauma.