MassBar CLE Seminar with Real-time Webcast

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Substance Use, Abuse and Addiction in District Court: Strategies and an Experimental Approach

Cases in District Court are often complicated by issues of substance use, abuse or addiction. Statistics show that 80 percent of offenders abuse drugs and/or alcohol, and nearly 50 percent of jail inmates are clinically addicted and 60 to 80 percent of drug abusers commit a new crime after release from prison.

This program will feature strategies for zealously and effectively representing your clients within the bounds of the law with cases involving substance use, abuse and addiction from pre-arrest to post-conviction, including probation and parole. Topics also include:

  • Collaboration
  • Use of existing diversion and alternative disposition strategies, and creating your own with existing resources
  • Using SJC Standards on substance abuse
  • Drug court
  • Section 35 Commitments: Voluntary and involuntary
  • Relapse and recidivism
  • Recovery coaches and social workers
  • How best to face the challenges of addiction recovery in our criminal justice system