Public Libraries Expanding Health Literacy for Drug Court Participants

Abstract

Drug Treatment Courts (DTCs) offer a form of alternative sentencing for people who have been convicted of a crime related to drug or alcohol abuse. The work of rehabilitation in DTCs is client-centered, meaning that it takes into account all of the client’s needs that affect their life in regards to completion of the program and rehabilitation. DTCs employ teams of people made up of judges, lawyers, educators, clinicians, and community supervisors. There are specific ways that librarians might become involved with DTCs regarding both literacy and, more specifically, health literacy. Existing programs could be adapted to solve common health literacy problems of participants, and librarians could also forge relationships with DTCs. Training for librarians should include education about the health and literacy problems faced by this population so they can successfully connect DTC participants with people and information that will contribute to their success completing the program and building healthier lives. This chapter looks to established best practices within DTCs and to some current related programs within public libraries to find grounds for expanding services to this population.

Citation

Janku, A.M.D., Bossaller, J., Adkins, D. and Thudium, R. (2020), "Public Libraries Expanding Health Literacy for Drug Court Participants", Jean, B.S., Jindal, G., Liao, Y. and Jaeger, P.T. (Ed.) Roles and Responsibilities of Libraries in Increasing Consumer Health Literacy and Reducing Health Disparities (Advances in Librarianship, Vol. 47), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 181-197. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0065-283020200000047009