THERAPEUTIC JUSTICE FOUNDATION INC
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Mission Statement
Our Mission is to provide financial support toward the success of the participants of the Bexar County Therapeutic Courts through treatment, education, training and public awareness.
About This Cause
In 2010, the Therapeutic Justice Foundation emerged through the innovative judicial vision of Judge Alonso, in conjunction with a group of dedicated community leaders. Judge Alonso’s goal is for the Foundation to be a catalyst in raising enough funding toward having “self-sustaining” Drug Courts in Bexar County. With TJF support, Bexar County Drug Court participants continue to receive the treatment they need to overcome addiction, trauma, and crime. Examples of our support include funding for UAs, Sober Housing Rent & Deposits, Recovery Monitoring Devices, Trauma Recognition Therapy, Bus Passes, an Emergency Food Bank, School Supplies, Large Thanksgiving and Christmas Food Baskets for impoverished, hungry families. Since its inception, the Therapeutic Justice Foundation's support of participants has significantly improved participants' success. The Therapeutic Justice Foundation has spent over a quarter of a million dollars in assisting participants with these needed services. Background & History: Our name was inspired by the concept of therapeutic jurisprudence: the study of how legal systems affect the emotions, behaviors and mental health of people. "Jurisprudence" is defined as "the study of the law," and "therapeutic" is a term referring to "the power to cure or heal." Although therapeutic jurisprudence had its origins in the area of mental health law, the approach soon spread to other areas and has emerged as an alternative mental health approach to law. Therapeutic jurisprudence is the foundation of Therapeutic Courts, which were developed to address a range of issues including substance abuse and mental health. Therapeutic Courts are also referred to as "Problem-Solving Courts", "Specialty Courts," or "Treatment Courts" because they take a treatment approach to addressing the criminal behavior so often fueled by drug/alcohol addiction or mental health issues. The Therapeutic Court Model is followed by other Specialty Courts such as Juvenile Courts, Driving While Impaired (DWI) Courts, Mental Health Courts, Prostitution Courts, Family Drug Courts, Adult Drug Courts and Veterans Courts; all of which were conceived based on the belief that individuals facing criminal charges - whose criminal behavior may have been fueled by drug addiction, trauma and/or mental illness - benefit most from treatment instead of incarceration. Therapeutic Courts grew from the extensive research that demonstrated traditional judicial approaches had failed in the areas of substance abuse, domestic violence, child abuse/neglect and mental illness. Indeed, these problems are cyclical by their very nature, rendering traditional interventions historically ineffective. A traditional judicial model addresses the symptoms, but not the underlying disease, resulting in recidivism that necessitates repeated judicial intervention. In general, Judges of traditional courts lack the training and expertise needed to effectively address these specialized problems. Moreover, they fail to involve treatment, social resources and other tools needed for the success of the participant. Participation in a Therapeutic Court will typically last for a minimum of nine months, but can take longer. Participants must complete an intense regimen of drug treatment, coupled with comprehensive case management, frequent, random drug testing, and close supervision. In addition, participants must regularly appear before the Therapeutic Court Judge, who will either reward them for positive progress or sanction them for non-compliance. The judge leads a multi-disciplinary team of practitioners who each contribute in a non-adversarial environment. This team consists of a judge, prosecutors, defense attorneys, treatment providers, law enforcement officers, supervision officers, a program coordinator, case managers and other specialists from the social and legal arenas. Characterized by active judicial involvement, Therapeutic Courts employ judicial authority to persuade individuals to utilize needed services while closely monitoring compliance and progress. These types of courts are concerned not merely with processing and resolving the court case, but work toward achieving a variety of tangible outcomes associated with avoiding re-occurrence of the problem. Therapeutic Courts in general have demonstrated the need for new kinds of information not typically collected by the courts, and in the process, have significantly improved the quality and quantity of information needed to further understand the problem and deal with it more effectively. The Therapeutic Justice Foundation, in conjunction with the Bexar County Therapeutic Courts, plays a singular role in raising community awareness about the problem, its causes, and the resources the Courts need to resolve it. In addition, TJF joins these Courts in advocating for the increased allocation of community resources for the populations that they serve in order to work toward the resolution of their problems. Since its inception, the Therapeutic Justice Foundation's support of participants has significantly improved participants' success. The Therapeutic Justice Foundation has spent over a quarter of a million dollars in assisting participants with needed services, such as: Annual Commencements honoring Graduates of Therapeutic Court programs, an Emergency Food Pantry, financial assistance with Transitional Housing, Monitoring Devices, Urinalysis Vouchers, Monthly Bus Passes/Tickets, Gift Cards, Holiday Food Baskets, School Backpacks and Supplies, Family Recreational Gift Cards, Annual Training Conferences, Pro-Social Activities, and Therapeutic Court Mentors comprised of past graduates who are passionate advocates of sober living and recovery. Thank you for joining our Mission!