TRAILS  - Treatment Responses and Alternatives to Increase Long-term Success

In 2009 the district established a reentry program called “TRAILS” for offenders with a history of substance abuse. The magistrate judge in Burlington oversees this program and holds biweekly court hearings to discuss participants’ progress. The drug and alcohol treatment specialist supervises the participants in the program. Other team members include representatives from the United States attorney’s office, federal public defender’s office, and the locally contracted treatment provider. The program consists of 3 phases, lasting 12-15 months. Participants who complete the program are rewarded with a one-year reduction in their term of supervision. Probation staff has recently begun using journaling as a cognitive behavioral intervention. Participants complete weekly assignments in a workbook, which a clinician reviews before the start of each reentry court session.