Yurok Tribal Court; Family Wellness Court

The purpose of the Family Drug Courts Program is to build the capacity of states, state and local courts, units of local government, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments to develop and establish drug courts for substance-abusing adults involved with the family dependency court as a result of child abuse and neglect issues. The program must provide services to the children of the parents in the program as well as to the parents. The program provides seed money, not long-term support. OJJDP expects successful applicants to develop and implement a sustainability plan during the grant period to continue operation of the family drug court when the grant ends. The program is authorized under 42 U.S.C. 3797u, et seq.

The Yurok Tribal Court seeks to implement a family drug court to address the growing threat of drug use on the Reservation. The program will serve members of the Yurok Tribe, the largest Indian tribe in California. In addition to substance abuse treatment and wraparound services, the program will emphasize civic education and cultural engagement as an integral part of each participant's treatment plan. Goals and Objectives include: (1) reduce methamphetamine and other drug use on the Yurok Reservation; (2) apply interventions that meet the cultural and spiritual needs of the Yurok persons; (3) and increase referrals to culturally-relevant substance abuse treatment services. Program activities include: court monitoring, case management, treatment planning, development of cultural curriculum, and participant re-integration into traditional Yurok life. The Yurok Tribal Court will track the following measures: (1) number of participants in the family drug court program; (2) percent of participants who successfully complete the program; (3) percent of participants who exhibit desired changes in targeted behaviors; (4) percent of participants with new drug-related offenses; (5) percent of participants with new CPS referrals; and (6) percent of participants with new substantiated CPS cases. CA/NCF