Barbara M. Johnson is a member of the second cohort of the Interdisciplinary Health Studies Ph.D. Program as well as faculty in the School of Social Work. Ms. Johnson has a private practice which specializes in working with overburdened families. Her research interest is in the area of therapeutic jurisprudence, such as treatment courts, which will be the topic of her dissertation. These grant awards will fund part of Ms. Johnson’s research for her dissertation. Dr. Nickola Nelson serves as Ms. Johnson’s advisor and Dr. Kieran Fogarty as her dissertation chair. Her expected graduation date is April 2009.

Details on the Grants awarded to Barbara Johnson:

Grantor: Michigan Department of Human Services: Bureau of Juvenile Justice–Justice Grant Unit
Objective: Juvenile Delinquency Prevention
Grantee: The Honorable Susan L. Dobrich, 43rd Circuit Court Family Division
Total Award: $168,750 (2007-2010)

Cass County Family Treatment Court (CCFTC) is an inter-disciplinary program of primary prevention of juvenile delinquency at its roots by providing services to the most risky families as a plan to stop the factors that lead to juvenile delinquency early enough, intensely enough, and long enough to make a difference. Juveniles and their families are served through a multi-system, collaborative, and comprehensive family approach. Mental health issues, substance abuse, child abuse and neglect, and basic living needs are addressed concurrently for juveniles and their families. Treatment plans cross system boundaries, and include early assessment and intervention. Based on the theory of therapeutic jurisprudence, “using the court for healing purposes,” mental health providers, representatives from the social service system, and family and juvenile court workers come together to balance the developmental and mental health needs of the juvenile and family with judicial timelines using evidence based treatment (Wexler & Winick, 1996, OJJDP, 2001).

Grantor: Michigan Supreme Court, State Court Administrative Office: Michigan Drug Court Grant Program (MDCGP)
Objective: Safe, healthy permanent homes for children of families afflicted with addictions in a timely manner using cost-effective drug court programs.
Grantee: The Honorable Susan L. Dobrich, 43rd Circuit Court Family Division
Total Award: $80,000 (2007)

Cass County Family Treatment Court (CCFTC) is a treatment based approach to working with families that have abused and/or neglected a child with parental substance abuse as a presenting issue. CCFTC promotes public safety and contributes to a reduction in substance abuse and recidivism of child abuse and neglect. Attorneys, therapists, and human service workers form a team for each family and come together using a non-adversarial, strengths based approach to provide early identification, referral, and screening; early and frequent judicial supervision; special case processing; and random and frequent drug testing for families, and a continuum of comprehensive treatment. Weekly court hearings are held and conducted in a strengths based, non-adversarial manner. Rewards, incentives and sanctions are implemented through a therapeutic relationship between each family and the Judge based on the recommendations of each family’s inter-disciplinary team. The program goal is to change the legacy of future generations from one of child abuse and neglect to one of safe, healthy and permanent homes.

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