TEXARKANA, Ark. -- The 8th Judicial Circuit has received more than $21,000 from the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts for its Adult Drug Court programs.
The $21,782 award was given during a presentation Wednesday in Circuit Judge Carlton Jones' courtroom at Miller County Courthouse.
"These funds will better equip the 8th South Judicial Circuit Adult Drug Court with the resources it needs to address the ongoing opioid epidemic within the community," state Supreme Court Chief Justice John Dan Kemp said in a news release. "As a former drug court judge and as chair of the Specialty Court Program Advisory Committee, I understand that the state's drug courts, and other specialty courts, play a critical role in addressing the cruel impact the opioid crisis is having in our communities."
The funds are part of a $1 million award to the AOC from the Arkansas Attorney General's Office. The money must be used to provide restorative services for drug court participants, including transitional and chemical-free housing; child care assistance; and services for substance abuse, mental health, peer support recovery and education.
Along with the monetary award, AOC will provide a supply of naloxone for each of the courtrooms in the 8th Judicial Circuit, which includes Miller and Lafayette counties. The medication reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.
"Given their close work with those suffering from opioid addiction, it is important that our courts and court personnel have a readily available supply of naloxone on hand," AOC Director Marty Sullivan said in the news release.
According to the Arkansas Department of Health, there were 487 overdose deaths statewide in 2022, the most recent full year for which data is available, the news release states.