Target actors: Courts, probation agencies, local and state legislators.

Probation agencies can make conditions less onerous by offering flexibility in meeting terms of supervision, such as allowing check-ins via phone as opposed to in person. They can also incentivize success by offering opportunities to move toward fewer check-ins. Further, probation conditions such as drug testing often carry a cost to the person subject to those requirements. Drug testing conditions should be reserved for people in formal substance use disorder treatment programs and their parameters should be defined by health professionals, not judicial actors. Where necessary, drug tests should be available at no cost and with flexible hours.

Learn more:

• How to Use Budgets to Understand Criminal Justice Fines and Fees (Vera Institute of Justice)
• Moving Away from Drug Courts: Toward a Health-Centered Approach to Drug Use (Drug Policy Alliance)
• Reconciling Drug Courts, Decarceration, and Harm Reduction (Fair and Just Prosecution)