The Court for Addiction, Recovery, and Education (CARE) is designed to divert individuals arrested for opioid use related charges, in the City of Syracuse, away from jail and into treatment as soon as possible.
The CARE court targets high-risk individuals with opioid use disorders and offers immediate intervention and stabilization, including access to medication for addiction treatment. ACR Health CARE Court Coordinator will work directly with individuals diverted to the court. Those arrested in connection with certain opioid related crimes in the city of Syracuse, are now screened for opioid use and referred to the CARE Court program to determine eligibility. Appropriate candidates are those who have been charged with misdemeanors or non-violent felonies. Criminal cases will be put on hold while defendants are in addiction treatment. ACR Health will provide rapid engagement in evidence-based treatment and intensive case management.
Syracuse City Court Judge Rory McMahon oversees the court and ACR Health’s CARE Court Coordinator, which will put treatment first, before prosecution. While defendants are in opioid addiction treatment they will be required to go to court every day to meet with Judge McMahon and the CARE Court Coordinator.
Opioids are a highly addictive class of drugs that include prescription painkillers like Oxycodone and illegal street drugs such as heroin and fentanyl. The CARE Court Coordinator will provide referrals to other ACR Health Harm Reduction programs to help individuals and families impacted by drug use, as well as provide assistance with linkage to substance use treatment and other supportive services needed to meet client needs.