Building Blocks for Success
Lifeline Connections’ Therapeutic Specialty Courts (TSC) teams in Clark County and the North Sound Region actively engage in life-changing work by providing assessments and diversion treatment as a sentencing alternative for adults with substance use disorders.
Therapeutic Specialty Courts Offer Treatment and Support
Local attorneys affiliated with the Therapeutic Specialty Courts refer eligible individuals to the prosecutor’s office for program consideration. From there, admissions are determined based on legal and clinical criteria. Once admitted into the program, a judge oversees each participant’s progress, while TSC staff assess individual needs and connect each person to appropriate treatment and support services.
Lifeline Connections’ North Sound Region contracts with Skagit and Whatcom counties for Drug/Recovery Court, with Skagit County’s caseloads growing and Whatcom County reaching capacity. The Skagit County contract connects individuals to housing resources through community partners.
Both programs in North Sound and Clark County are crucial for the well-being of individuals who have been detained.
December 2024 data from Clark County highlights the impact of the TSC program: Four program participants from the Adult Drug, Driving Under the Influence (DUI), and Therapeutic Alternative Courts avoided a total of 9 years of potential incarceration.
In addition to saving taxpayers significant costs, these participants gained tools for sustained sobriety and achieved stable housing, full-time employment, and reunification with their family and friends.
