Preventing Overdose and Promoting Recovery Through Court Navigation

Conditions

• Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

18 Years - 100 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Not accepted

Interventions

• CourtConnect — BEHAVIORAL
  CourtConnect connects individuals in courthouses with peer court navigators who provide information, referrals, and support to address substance use disorder treatment needs and related health and social needs. Navigation begins in the courthouse and continues in the community through follow-up support for up to 3 months.
• Information Only — OTHER
  Participants assigned to the information-only group receive information about health and social services in the community from a non-peer research assistant. They do not receive peer court navigation or follow-up support from a peer court navigator.

Study Details

This project is a hybrid type I clinical trial to assess the effectiveness and implementation determinants of a peer-led court navigation program for people who use drugs and are passing through county courthouses. Courthouses are a common point of contact for people with behavioral health needs, but outside of specialty court models, they remain underexplored as a setting for connecting people to substance use disorder treatment and related services. This study will test whether court navigation led by peer recovery specialists can increase receipt of substance use disorder treatment and reduce overdose and incarceration. Peer court navigators will meet with participants in courthouse settings, assess their needs, provide information and referrals, and offer follow-up support for up to 3 months. Peer recovery specialists, who have lived experience with substance use recovery, are increasingly being integrated into criminal legal and community-based settings; however, peer-led court navigation remains an innovative and understudied approach.

Key Dates

First listed

Jul 14, 2026

Start date

Oct 31, 2026

Status verified

Jul 2026

Primary completion

Dec 31, 2028

Completion

May 31, 2030

Study Design

Enrollment

600 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Arms

• Experimental: Peer court navigation
  CourtConnect is the intervention. It connects individuals in courthouses with peer court navigators who provide information, referrals, and support to address substance use disorder treatment needs and related health and social needs. Navigation begins in the courthouse and continues in the community through follow-up support for up to 3 months.
• Active Comparator: Information only
  Participants assigned to the information-only group receive information about health and social services in the community from a non-peer research assistant. They do not receive peer court navigation or follow-up support from a peer court navigator.

Primary Outcome Measure

Administratively documented substance use disorder treatment engagement [ Time Frame: 90 days after baseline ]

Central Contacts

• Bradley Ray, PhD
  919-324-5492
  [email protected]
• Cari Megerian, MPH
  415-412-0830
  [email protected]

Locations (2)

Find similar trials in South Bend, IN

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