5 Ways Juvenile and Family Court Judges Can Use Public Health Data and Resources to Address Substance Use Disorders

Juvenile and family court judges are leaders and conveners in their communities. Judges need information (data) to accomplish varied activities in their roles – from making individual-level decisions about evidence-based services to convening stakeholder groups that are able to affect change in their jurisdictions. Juvenile and family court judges use data about their jurisdiction, such as rates on permanency, victimization, substance use disorders (SUDs), and overdoses. However, judges may lack guidance regarding how their data compares to other national public health data. This added layer of analysis and comparison can be useful to judges in their roles as leaders and conveners, especially when addressing substance use in their communities. In this technical assistance bulletin are five ways judges can use national data and resources to improve policy and practice.