Understanding the health and well-being impacts and implementation barriers and facilitators of legally-mandated non-custodial drug and alcohol treatment for justice-involved adults: a qualitative evidence synthesis

Citation

France EF, Hoyle L, Campbell P, Bissozo Hernandez H, Cowie J, Fenton C, Carver H, Connell C, Dumbrell J, Hill R, Blacklaw F, NESSIE NESSI & Davis B (2025) Understanding the health and well-being impacts and implementation barriers and facilitators of legally-mandated non-custodial drug and alcohol treatment for justice-involved adults: a qualitative evidence synthesis. France E (Project Leader) Health & Justice, 13 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-025-00361-5

Abstract
Background Non-custodial judicial treatment orders aim to reduce recidivism for justice-involved people with drug and/or alcohol use problems, but health and well-being impacts are not understood. We conducted the first qualitative evidence synthesis to explore the perceived impacts on health and well-being of treatment orders and the perceived barriers and facilitators to implementation from the perspectives of justice-involved adults, their family members/significant others, and staff delivering/ mandating the treatment.

Keywords
Justice-involved adults; Offenders; Drug treatment court; Treatment orders; Non-custodial sentences; Systematic review; Qualitative evidence synthesis; Framework synthesis; Health outcomes; Substance use

Journal
Health & Justice: Volume 13, Issue 1

• Understanding the health and well-being impacts and implementation barriers and facilitators of legally-mandated noncustodial drug and alcohol treatment for justice-involved adults: a qualitative evidence synthesis