The Rapid Referral Program in Chittenden County was spotlighted in the New York Times Opinionater blog on Jan. 8.
David Bornstein, a commentator on “social innovation,” praised the approach, which allows young people arrested for a crime to receive substance and drug abuse treatment more promptly.
The program is a partnership between Spectrum, a substance abuse treatment and counseling program for youths, and the Chittenden County District Court. It attracted the attention of Gov. Peter Shumlin, Attorney General Bill Sorrell, and a number of Vermont lawmakers back in October when a study, released by the Vermont Center for Justice Research, showed a markedly low recidivism rate — 18.7 percent — among program participants.
Under the arrangement, judges can refer young defendants to Spectrum for substance and drug abuse screening at their pretrial arraignment. If Spectrum determines that treatment is an appropriate course for the defendant, the program becomes one component of their pretrial conditions of release. Generally, judges don’t mandate treatment until the time of the trial.
Bornstein wrote that the concept of eliminating lag time for treatment “seems merely logical … It’s the sort of instant referral that companies like Amazon.com do a million times a day.”
A strength of the program, Bornstein said, is that it “doesn’t involve bureaucracy or additional costs.” Ninety percent of the program costs are covered by insurance — Medicaid or individuals’ private insurance — and a federal grant from Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs covers the rest. Bornstein noted that the grant could be nixed as part of congressional budget cuts on the horizon.
Bornstein said replicating the program is challenged by “institutional inertia” — in other words, it hinges upon having judges who are willing to take part.
