TASC

TASC News | May-27-2022

Biden 2022 Drug Strategy Cites TASC’s Specialized Case Management; Boosts FY23 Treatment, Prevention Funding

(TASC) – The rollout last month of the Biden Administration’s inauguralNational Drug Control Strategy showcases TASC’s pioneering specialized case management model as a “critical element” in advancing both alternatives to incarceration and harm reduction for justice-involved individuals as...

TASC in the News | Apr-26-2022

Model Deflection Law a Milestone in the Growth of a Winning Strategy Against Substance Use

Catching Up With COSSAP (April 2022) Deflection—the proposition that the best way to support individuals with substance use and co-occurring disorders is to deflect them away from traditional law enforcement involvement and toward treatment and recovery services— received a game-changing...

TASC News | Apr-12-2022

First Responder Deflection eCourse Now Available from JCOIN

(TASC) – The first-of-its-kind online course focused on first responder deflection is now available from the Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN). The eCourse,First Responder Deflection: A Warm Handoff to Services in the Community, introduces deflection as a...

TASC News | Mar-07-2022

TASC Featured in White House Release of Model Law to Expand Deflection Programs

(Washington, DC) – TASC’s Center for Health and Justice (CHJ) was featured in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s (ONDCP) March 3 release of theModel Law Enforcement and Other First Responders Deflection Act, a resource for states that encourages the development and us...

TASC News | Dec-13-2021

Chicago Sun-Times Op-Ed on Deflection by Joel K. Johnson and Jac A. Charlier

To reduce drug crimes, send people to treatment instead of making arrests Tens of thousands of cases involving small amounts of illicit drugs go through the Cook County courts each year, only for 95 percent of these cases to be dismissed, according to an in-depth investigation by the...

TASC in the News | Jun-04-2021

Report Available on Law Enforcement-led Diversion and First Responder Deflection Programs

DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance (5/26/21) The Bureau of Justice Assistance's Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program has announced the availability of theReport of the National Survey to Assess First Responder Deflection Programs in Response to the Opioid...

Related Issues | Mar-30-2021

Study Shows No-Prosecution Policies for Misdemeanors Lead to Less Crime

The Crime Report (3/29/21) An independent research study showing that a decline in prosecutions for misdemeanors and other non-violent offenses does not imperil public safety is adding new impetus to reforms by so-called “progressive” district attorneys in Boston, Chicago and Baltimore. Th...

TASC News | Mar-08-2021

TASC Marks 45 Years of Advancing Health and Justice

(Chicago) – Incorporated on March 8, 1976, TASC, Inc. of Illinois is 45 years old today. Across the decades, TASC has grown from a small pilot program in Cook County to an independent nonprofit reaching nearly 30,000 people across Illinois annually, and providing consulting and public policy...

Related Issues | Mar-03-2021

How Mass Incarceration Fuels Cycle of Poverty

The Crime Report (3/1/21) The burden of lost economic opportunity falls hardest on Black and Hispanic individuals who are disproportionately represented in the justice-involved population, according to a study of formerly incarcerated New Yorkers by the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York...

TASC News | Feb-08-2021

Journal for Advancing Justice Spotlights Police-led Deflection

TASC Center for Health and Justice (CHJ) Executive Director Jac Charlier is co-author of a new paper in a leading journal’s special issue onEmerging Best Practices in Law Enforcement Deflection and Community Supervision Programs.The article by Charlier and co-author Jessica Reichert,...

TASC News | Dec-10-2020

In Opioid Fight, Cook County Launches Deflection, Naloxone Initiative with TASC/CHJ as Partner

(FOREST PARK, IL) – The Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) has launched a comprehensive initiative to prevent opioid overdose deaths in suburban Cook County, enlisting TASC as a partner. Cook County’s initiative, rooted in adeflection strategy, will work with TASC’s Center for...

TASC in the News | Aug-27-2020

Sesame Street webinar tackles addiction struggle for parents, families

WTOV9 | Fox (8/25/20) Sesame Street has launched a web series to help families dealing with addiction, to offer resources and strategies a child and family therapist may use in their work with families. On Thursday, August 26, DisposeRx will partner with Sesame Street in Communities to lead the...

TASC News | Jul-17-2020

Police Reforms Cannot Be Fully Actualized without Addiction Treatment and Other Services in the Community

(Chicago) –Substance use treatment and other services must be available and accessible in the community in order for police reforms to be fully actualized, said Jac Charlier, executive director of both the Police, Treatment, and Community Collaborative (PTACC)and of TASC’s Center for...

TASC News | Jun-16-2020

Federal COVID-19 Small Business Loans Denied to Applicants with Criminal Legal System Involvement and Histories

(Chicago) – In March 2020, in the midst of the advancing COVID-19 pandemic, some small businesses and nonprofits were offered access to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) authorized under the federal government’sCARES Act. The PPP was devised to deliver hundreds of billions of dollars to...

TASC in the News | May-07-2020

Treatment Capacity: Divert to What?

Catching Up With COSSAP (5/1/20) Law enforcement and first responder diversion offers a connection to treatment and recovery for individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs). But before a system for referrals can be implemented within a community, the local availability and variety of treatmen...

TASC in the News | Apr-30-2020

Flipping the Script on Law Enforcement Encounters

Jac Charlier, executive director of TASC's Center for Health and Justice is featured inthe following article, shared courtesy ofNational Association of Social Workers.Social Work Advocates Magazine (April/May 2020 - digital edition)There are typically two options for law...

TASC in the News | Apr-29-2020

Can Lessons From the Opioid Epidemic Apply to COVID-19?

The Crime Report (4/28/2020) An op-ed co-authored by Jac Charlier, executive director ofTASC's Center for Health and Justice. The COVID-19 pandemic is re-shaping our lives, rapidly, and right before our eyes. While we cannot see the coronavirus without a microscope, its impact...

Related Issues | Apr-20-2020

The Criminal Justice System and Pandemic Preparedness and Response: Operating in the Age of Coronavirus

ICJIA (4/16/20) The COVID-19 pandemic poses unique challenges for the criminal justice system. Despite statewide social distancing and stay-in-place orders, criminal justice practitioners and victim service providers must, to some extent, continue to directly interact with justice-involved...

TASC News | Mar-05-2020

Illinois Lawmakers Graded: TASC Releases Legislative Health & Justice Scorecard

(Chicago) – TASC has issued its inauguralHealth & Justice Legislative Scorecard, a tally of how Illinois state lawmakers voted on selected bills related to health and justice last year, especially for individuals and families impacted by contact with the criminal legal system.A...

TASC News | Feb-24-2020

TASC Offers Testimony to Lawmakers at Joint Hearing on the State of Criminal Justice in Illinois

(Chicago) – TASC Policy Director Laura Brookes presented testimony recently at the Joint Hearing on the State of Criminal Justice in Illinois, offering subject-matter input on essential elements of criminal justice policy as it affects people with substance use disorders.The subject-matter hearing...

TASC News | Jan-31-2020

Applications Being Accepted for Law Enforcement/First Responder Diversion and Referral Mentoring Initiative

(Chicago) – Applications arenow open for the Law Enforcement/First Responder Diversion and Referral Mentoring Initiative, which has been launched as a resource to support law enforcement and fire/EMS interested in starting or expanding diversion and/or referral programs for individuals with...

TASC News | Jan-28-2020

TASC Releases Substance Use Treatment Capacity Expansion Series, Offers Strategies for Collaborative Efforts to Increase Capacity, Access, and Coordinated Care

(Chicago) – The opioid crisis has accelerated local and national conversations about how communities can meet the demand for quality, evidence-based substance use treatment, and how to coordinate access to services. Indeed, as jurisdictions seek to expand criminal justice deflection and...

Related Issues | Jan-16-2020

Leadership through Modern-Day Approaches to Community and Employee Wellness

Articlein Police Chief Magazine co-authored by Mundelein Police Chief Eric Guenther (TASC 2018 Leadership Award Honoree) and Commander Michael Richards. Police Chief Online (1/15/20) "While Mundelein, Illinois, Police Department officers...have always aimed to treat all people a...

TASC in the News | Jan-10-2020

Mundelein Police Department Selected as National Mentor Site for Opioid Abuse Training

Village of Mundelein | Mudelein, IL (1/2020) The U.S. Department of Justice and Treatment Alternatives for Safer Communities (TASC) has selected the Mundelein Police Department as a Law Enforcement/First Responder Diversion National Mentor Site under the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA)...

TASC in the News | Jan-09-2020

Plymouth County Outreach to be a mentor in fight against opioids

Excerpted from: Sippican Week | Sippican, MA (1/8/20) Plymouth County Outreach, a program that fosters collaboration between law enforcement, medical professionals, and community coalitions, has been selected as a mentor site for Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities’ Law Enforcement/First...

Related Issues | Dec-19-2019

City of Chicago Crisis Intervention Advisory Committee: Recommendations Report

City of Chicago(12/19/2019) On December 19, Chicago MayorLori Lightfootadopted recommendations from the city’s Crisis Intervention Advisory Council (CIAC), of which TASC is a member, and NAMI Chicago; the recommendations serve as the city’s roadmap in expanding equit...

TASC News | Nov-15-2019

CIT International and PTACC Announce Partnership to Connect Mental Health, Substance Use Treatment Services in Pre-Arrest Diversion

Dr. Amy Watson, CIT International board member (left) and TASC's Jac Charlier, co-founder of PTACC (Ponte Vedra, FL) – In a new, national initiative designed to speed up entry and widen access to community-based services for people living with mental health and substance use...

TASC News | Sep-30-2019

Report: Modest Reductions in U.S. Prison Population; More Changes Needed to End Mass Incarceration

(Chicago) - The United States continues incarcerating more people (and more people per capita) than any other country in the world, even while the past several years have shown modest decreases in the country’s prison population. If decarceration continues at this pace, it will take 72 years—until...

TASC News | Aug-30-2019

Federal Agency Withdraws Proposal Requiring Disclosure of Participation in Diversion Program on Employment Applications

(Washington, DC) – Facing strong opposition from thousands of individuals and organizations, including TASC, the federal governmentwithdrew in May its proposal to require disclosure of participation in a criminal justice diversion program on federal employment applications. The...

TASC in the News | Aug-13-2019

Midwestern Legislative Conference Criminal Justice & Public Safety Committee: Is a 'third way' of policing--deflection--emerging?

Council of State Governments | Stateline Midwest (August 2019) A relatively new idea in criminal justice, deflection is a “third way” for police to interact with offenders they encounter. Police officers often only have a binary choice, arrest or release. Deflection seeks to use alternative...

Related Issues | Jul-02-2019

Hain launches A Way Out to aid those with drug addiction

Kane County Chronicle (7/1/19)Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain announced in anews release the beginning of AWay Out, aprogram that provides non-punitive support and treatment center connection to those suffering from drug addiction in Kane County.The program is under operation by...

Related Issues | Jun-25-2019

Police departments rethink approach to battling addiction crisis

Fox News (6/21/19)As the addiction epidemic across the country continues to break records, police departments are rethinking their approach to how they interact with people with substance abuse disorder. Instead of arresting them, they are urging them to get treatment and helping them get into...

Related Issues | Jun-11-2019

Key Research Findings Related to Pre-Arrest Diversion Initiatives in the US

Police, Treatment, and Community Collaborative (PTACC) (6/9/19)Pre-arrest diversion programs have been operating since the 1970s, but not until recently has researchstarted to examine the potential benefits of these programs. Most of the current work in this area has largely focused on singl...

TASC News | Apr-16-2019

Chicago Tribune Editorial – The opioid crisis in Illinois: How to combat drug overdoses

Excerpt from April 15, 2019, Chicago Tribuneeditorial, in which TASC President Pam Rodriguez is cited: “Plenty of options have been tried to curb the illegal use of opioids….One promising step deserves note. A new law took effect this year to promote efforts by law enforcement agencies to...

TASC News | Mar-18-2019

Reduced Recidivism, Deflection from Justice Involvement, Family Reunification among TASC 2018 Highlights

(Chicago) – In state fiscal year 2018, TASC reached more than 44,000 people in justice, corrections, child welfare, and health systems across Illinois. Nearly 14,000 adults and youth received in-depth services to help them achieve health and well-being in the community. Additionally, over 30,000...

TASC News | Mar-07-2019

Illinois Treatment Outcomes Highlight Effectiveness of TASC Specialized Case Management

(Chicago) – Individuals referred to substance use treatment by the justice system (such as courts, probation, parole) are significantly more likely to complete treatment when they receive TASC specialized case management. Among adult criminal justice clients in Illinois, treatment...

TASC News | Feb-18-2019

Training for Law Enforcement on Substance Use Disorders: Issue Brief by TASC Center for Health and Justice

(Chicago)—Jac Charlier,executive director of TASC’sCenter for Health and Justice (CHJ), and Ben Ekelund, director of CHJ, have co-authored an issue brief for the National Drug Court Resource Center to support law enforcement officers in responding to people with substance...

Related Issues | Feb-12-2019

National Drug Control Strategy Names Deflection Model for Pre-Arrest Diversion

Excerpt from the 2019 National Drug Control Strategy (January 31, 2019, page 11)Recently, some pioneering police departments began diverting individuals addicted to drugs directly to treatment in lieu of arrest. Many communities are adopting pre-arrest diversion programs and other law enforcement...

TASC News | Feb-01-2019

Soaring Female Incarceration Rates Demand Gender-Responsive Policies

(Chicago) – Women represent thefastest-growing segment of the incarcerated population in the United States. Nationally, from 1980 to 2016, their number increased by more than 700 percent—doubling the rate of growth among men. In that same time period, incarceration rates of women in...

TASC News | Dec-13-2018

Honorees at TASC 2018 Leadership Awards Luncheon: This is Just the Beginning

(Chicago) –TASC’s 2018 Leadership Award recipients—action-driven change agents forging new pathways within their professions—humbly echoed similar themes as they accepted their awards at the agency’s annual luncheon in Chicago on December 12:Thank you, but this is just the beginning....

TASC in the News | Dec-11-2018

City manager to receive justice leadership award

SaukValley.com (12/11/18) The city manager will be honored by a justice advocacy group in Chicago Wednesday for working to create the Safe Passage Initiative and helping to draft state legislation to aid such programs. Danny Langloss, who was the Dixon police chief for a decade before becoming...

TASC News | Nov-27-2018

Poll: 69% Back Illinois Law Pushing Drug Treatment over Arrest

(Grayslake, IL) – A new bipartisan law that authorizes local police departments and community partners to develop local strategies to fight the Illinois opioid crisis has the overwhelming backing of Illinois voters, according to a recent poll. On August 22, 2018, Governor Rauner signed...

TASC News | Oct-10-2018

“Deflection” Grants Available to Illinois Law Enforcement-Community Partnerships, Proposals Due October 25, 2018

(Chicago) — New state funding is available to law enforcement working to divert people away from arrest and jail and into drug treatment programs. With $500,000 available, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) is now accepting grant proposals to support deflection initiatives...

TASC News | Aug-31-2018

Supporting International Efforts to Prevent Overdose and Treat Substance Use Disorders

(Chicago)–TASC’s work in Illinois is helping to inform international strategies to save lives and divert people with substance use disorders away from the justice system and into community-based treatment. On August 20, TASC hosted visiting dignitaries from the U.S. Department of...

TASC News | Aug-24-2018

Governor Rauner, Illinois Lawmakers Weigh in on New Pre-Arrest Diversion Legislation

(Chicago) —Illinois lawmakers weighed in on the significance ofSenate Bill 3023, signedon Wednesdayby GovernorBruce Rauner.The first state legislation to authorize a comprehensive array of pre-arrest diversion program approaches, it supports law enforcement...

TASC News | Aug-22-2018

Governor Signs Illinois Law Enforcement Diversion Bill, First of Its Kind in the Nation

(Springfield)– Illinois Governor Bruce Raunersigned groundbreaking legislation on Wednesday that authorizeslocal law enforcement leaders and community partners to create local programs that “deflect”individuals who have substance use problems away from the justice system...

TASC in the News | Jul-28-2018

West Orange (NJ) Takes Innovative Approach to Battling Opioid Addiction

TAP into West Orange (7/28/18) As communities across the country continue to battle the opioid crisis, West Orange (NJ) is among those taking a proactive, innovative approach to solving it: collaboration. The approach is known as Police, Treatment and Community Collaborative...

TASC News | Jul-18-2018

National Collaborative Co-founded by TASC Launches Website Supporting Pre-Arrest Diversion

(Chicago) — ThePolice, Treatment, and Community Collaborative (PTACC), of which the Center for Health and Justice at TASC is a founding member, has launched a website to support colleagues across the country facing multiple public health and public safety challenges in their...

TASC News | Jun-25-2018

June 26 is International Day Against Drug Abuse; TASC Hosts Caribbean Delegation Visit of Model Justice Interventions

(Chicago) — To promote an international society free of drug abuse, June 26 is designated by the United Nations General Assembly as theInternational Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.As an active partner with national and international bodies committed to reducing substanc...

TASC in the News | May-24-2018

Instead of more policing, a model to provide more services

The Chicago Reporter (5/24/18) Everyone is talking about diversion from the criminal justice system... The potential is much greater if the concept of diversion is expanded to "deflection," saidJac Charlier, national director of justice initiatives at Treatment...

TASC News | May-03-2018

May 3 Twitter Chat: #RecoveryNotArrest

(Chicago) – TASC and its Center for Health and Justice –@TASC-CHJ on Twitter– will participate in a May 3 twitter chat hosted by thePretrial Justice Institute to discuss the role of behavioral health in pretrial justice.From 1-2 PM Central time (2-3 PM Eastern), participants will...

TASC News | Apr-19-2018

Senate Panel OKs Bush Bill to Give Police, Communities “Road Map” to Fight Opioid Crisis

(Grayslake, IL) – An Illinois Senate panel has approved a bipartisan plan that authorizes local police departments and community partners to develop local strategies to fight the Illinois opioid crisis.The Senate Human Services Committee on April 10 voted 8-0 to advance legislation, Senate Bill...

TASC News | Feb-14-2018

Inaugural Pre-Arrest Diversion Conference in March; HHS Assistant Secretary Elinore McCance-Katz to Speak

(Chicago) –The first-ever National Pre-Arrest Diversion Conference will take place March 4-7, 2018, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.As a special guest speaker, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Elinore F. McCance-Katz, MD, PhD will describe the Substance Abuse an...

TASC News | Dec-16-2017

Leaders in Transforming Health and Justice Recognized at TASC’s 2017 Leadership Awards Luncheon

(Chicago) – Nearly 300 guests attended TASC’s 2017 Leadership Awards Luncheon in Chicago on December 14 to honorJessica Hulsey Nickel and Howard A. Peters III,respected champions of health and justice reforms. Speakers shared inspiring tributes and echoed the importance of uplifting...

TASC News | Dec-12-2017

Addiction Policy Forum Announces New Initiatives and Partnerships to Address the Opioid Crisis

(Chicago) — The Addiction Policy Forum, of which TASC is a national partner, has announcedseveral new initiatives to help families in the United States struggling with opioid addiction and other substance use disorders. The programs put in motion key elements of the...

TASC News | Oct-27-2017

National Public Health Emergency Declared in Face of Opioid Crisis; TASC and Partners Collaborating to Offer Solutions and Strategies

(Chicago) – Drug overdoses killed more than 64,000 people in the United States in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s an average of 175 people per day. On October 26, President Trump declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency, “directing al...

TASC in the News | Oct-22-2017

IACP Quick Take: Why the fight against the opioid crisis can't stop with naloxone

PoliceOne.com (10/22/17) America is in the midst of an opioid crisis, and police officers are on the front line of the epidemic. Agencies are increasingly outfitting their officers with the overdose reversal drug naloxone, but that's only half the battle. Naloxone saves lives, but it...

TASC News | Oct-20-2017

Op-Ed by TASC President: Cook County State’s Attorney Report “Bold and Refreshing”

The newdata reportissued by Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is a bold and refreshing step toward transparency in government and criminal justice reform. For the lead prosecutor of a major county to offer such a wealth of useful and important information is practically unheard of...

TASC News | Oct-18-2017

Leading the Movement Toward Diversion as a First Response: Building Connections to Treatment at the Front End of the Justice System

Below is an excerpt fromTASC’s semi-annual News & Views. The current issue includes articles on pre-arrest, prosecutorial, and jail release interventions for people who have substance use and mental health conditions. (Chicago) — A recent criminal justice trend is gaining traction. It...

TASC News | Aug-15-2017

IACP and TASC Announce National Initiative to Combat the U.S. Opioid Epidemic and Mainstream Pre-Arrest Diversion Programs

(Chicago) – The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC) have come together to promote an initiative to create robust alternative-to-arrest diversion programs for state, county, and local law enforcement agencies across the...

TASC News | May-19-2017

Collateral Consequences of Convictions

(Chicago) –TASC submitted comments for the May 19 briefing of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on Collateral Consequences: The Crossroads of Punishment, Redemption, and the Effects on Communities.The briefing focused on the barriers to successful community reentry forformerly...

TASC News | Apr-26-2017

TASC Releases Survey of Prosecutorial Diversion in Illinois, Offering Recommendations to Guide Expansion and Improvement

(Chicago) – A new survey of Illinois state’s attorneys illustrates the scope and variety of prosecutorial diversion initiatives operating in jurisdictions across the state.The intent of such programs often is to redirect individuals away from the criminal justice system and into community-based...

TASC in the News | Mar-23-2017

The ‘Deflection’ Surge: Key to Reducing Re-Arrests

An Article by Jac CharlierThe Crime Report (3/21/2017) Law enforcement officers know the routine well. They encounter someone who has a drug addiction or a mental health problem. Sometimes they stop the person for a low-level offense, such as drug possession, petty theft, or vagrancy. Sometime...

TASC News | Mar-02-2017

TASC Co-Convenes First-Ever National Summit on Deflecting People from Arrest

(Alexandria, VA) – Criminal justice, behavioral health, and public policy experts from across the country convened on March 1-2for the first-ever national summit focused on strategies to deflect people with drug problems and/or low-level offenses away from the justice system before they ente...

TASC News | Jan-27-2017

Supporting Criminal Justice Reforms and Treatment Access: National Initiatives

(Chicago) – Themajority of people who enter the justice system have a substance use or mental health condition, or both. In many cases, deflection and diversion to appropriate services can happen at the very front end of the system, even before arrest.TASC and its Center for Health and...

TASC News | Dec-09-2016

TASC Offers Roll Call Videos for Law Enforcement: The Science of Addiction, Building Partnership with Treatment

(Chicago) – The Center for Health and Justice at TASC has produced two short videos designed to support law enforcement in connecting addicted individuals to treatment in the community. The videos can be viewed on the Center for Health and Justice website. When people are addicted to drugs, thei...

TASC News | Oct-07-2016

TASC Releases Medicaid Policy Briefs, Offers Financing Strategies to Improve Community-Based Healthcare Access for Criminal Justice Populations

(Chicago) – Recent Medicaid policy reforms present new opportunities to improve community-based healthcare access for people under justice and corrections supervision. Access to care is critical to reducing recidivism, given high rates of substance use, mental illness, and chronic medical...

TASC News | Sep-22-2016

International Policy Experts Visit TASC, Explore Alternatives to Incarceration

(Chicago) – Highlighting the value of evidence-based alternatives to incarceration for people with substance use disorders, TASC hosted a three-day visit last week of representatives from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the U.S. State Department, the Organization of...

TASC News | Sep-21-2016

Fundamentals of Alternatives to Incarceration

(Chicago) – In the United States, the majority of people who come into the criminal justice system have a substance use problem, which is a treatable health condition. As a response to non-violent offenses related to drug use and addiction, there are many alternatives to incarceration that are mor...

TASC News | Aug-08-2016

Addiction Policy Forum and National Criminal Justice Association Partner to Translate Opioid Research to Practice

[On Monday, August 8 from 1:45-3:15 PM EDT (12:45-2:15 PM Central), the National Forum on Criminal Justice livestreamed a panel discussion on Strategiesfor Combating the Opioid Epidemic. TASC President Pam Rodriguez was among the speakers.]The Addiction Policy Forum and the National Criminal...

TASC News | Jul-01-2016

TASC Consulting Supports New White House Data-Driven Justice Initiative

(Chicago) – On June 30, the White House launched the Data-Driven Justice Initiative with a bipartisan coalition of 67 city, county, and state governments who have committed to using data-driven strategies to divert low-level offenders with mental illness out of the criminal justice system....

TASC News | Jun-15-2016

Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County Supports Connections from Jail to Drug Treatment

(Waukegan, IL) – The Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County has awarded a second year of funding to TASC to help individuals get into substance use and mental health treatment after leaving the Lake County Jail.The program, initiated in 2015 as a partnership among TASC, Lake County...

TASC News | May-25-2016

Best Practices for Jail Medicaid Enrollment: TASC in Modern Healthcare Article

(Chicago) – Modern Healthcarehas published an article on best practices for Medicaid enrollment at jail intake, notingapproaches which TASC has helped implement in Cook County and is sharing with other jurisdictions around the country. Harris Meyerwrites: Like inmates...

TASC News | May-18-2016

Public Support Grows for Criminal Justice Diversion Initiatives

(Chicago) – A recent poll of Illinois voters indicates strong support for criminal justice reform. More than two thirds (70 percent) agree that state prisons are overcrowded and require reform for people with non-violent offenses, and four in five (83 percent) support sending fewer individuals wit...

TASC News | May-13-2016

National TASC Conference Showcases Local Diversion Programs

(Chicago) – Several criminal justice diversion programs in Illinois were showcased at the recent annual conference of National TASC, an association of programs that connect justice systems to community-based treatment. TASC, Inc. of Illinois served as the host organization for the national...

TASC News | Apr-06-2016

Medicaid Expansion: Improving Access to Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment for Justice Populations

(Chicago) – April 2016 marks the third anniversary of Cook County’s groundbreaking jail-based Medicaid application project, through which people detained at the jail have received assistance in applying for health coverage.Some15,000 detainees have gained Medicaid coverage since 2013,...

TASC News | Feb-18-2016

TASC Public Policy Priorities

At local, state, and federal levels, TASC supports public policies that reduce incarceration and create healthier communities. Our policy priorities are to:1. Shrink the justice systemby diverting eligible people away from prosecution and incarceration and into community-based services, as...

TASC News | Oct-16-2015

2015 Urban Labs Innovation Challenge Winners: TASC, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Heartland Alliance Earn Grant for Supportive Release Center

(Chicago) – The University of Chicago announced the winners of the Urban Labs 2015 Innovation Challenge grants on October 12, including a $1M grant to TASC, the Heartland Alliance, and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office to support people with mental illness as they are released from the Cook...

TASC in the News | Oct-01-2015

Want to Reduce Drugs in Your Community? You May Want to Deflect Instead of Arrest

The Police Chief Magazine (9/2015) In this article, TASC'sJac Charlier writes about models to divert people from arrest to treatment. While on patrol, police officers routinely encounter people who have substance use disorders (SUDs). In the United States, adults who were arrested...

TASC News | Mar-05-2015

TASC President Appointed to Governor Rauner’s Criminal Justice Reform Commission

(Springfield) – TASC President Pam Rodriguez has been appointed to Governor Bruce Rauner’s Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform. Established by the Governor’s executive order in February, the new Commission will examine all aspects of Illinois’ criminal justice...

TASC News | Feb-11-2015

Governor Rauner Boosts Criminal Justice Reform; Solutions Include Diversion and Alternatives to Incarceration

(Pamela Rodriguez OP-ED) GovernorBruce Rauner signed an executive order on Wednesday to establish the Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform. Given that Illinois’ prison population has grown by 700 percent in the past 40 years, the commission will make...

TASC News | Oct-21-2014

Pamela Rodriguez Op-Ed in Daily Herald: Is Illinois Ready for Criminal Justice Reform?

In a guest opinion-editorialfor the Daily Herald, TASC President Pamela Rodriguezdiscusses the timely and promising opportunities for criminal justice reform in Illinois. The General Assembly’s new Joint Criminal Justice Reform Committee, chaired by State Rep. Michael J. Zalewski...

TASC News | Sep-17-2014

IL State Sen. Mattie Hunter, Walgreens’ Steve Pemberton to Receive TASC 2014 Leadership Awards

(Chicago) – Illinois State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-3) and author and Walgreens executive Steve Pemberton will receive TASC’s 2014 Leadership Awards at the agency’s annual luncheon on December 10. “By their leadership and examples, Senator Hunter and Mr. Pemberton show us what public servic...

TASC News | Jul-10-2014

TASC Leaders Featured in 2014 National Drug Control Strategy and White House Video

(Chicago) – TASC President Pamela F. Rodriguez and President Emeritus Melody M. Heaps are featured in the 2014 National Drug Control Strategy, released July 9by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Rodriguez, TASC’s president and CEO since 2009, and Heaps,...

TASC News | Jan-13-2014

National Survey of Diversion Programs Takes Center Stage at Congressional Briefing

(Washington, DC) –A new survey of criminal justice diversion programs across the U.S. reveals that law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts are increasingly diverting certain people with non-violent charges away from courts and incarceration and into smarter, more science-based, and more...

TASC News | Nov-26-2013

National Law Enforcement Leaders Examine Science of Substance Use Disorders and Implications for Practice

(Chicago) – White House Drug Policy DirectorR. Gil Kerlikowskeand Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy were among the high-level policy and law enforcement leaders who met in Chicago recently for a seminal task force meeting to discuss the science of substance use disorders and...

TASC News | Feb-02-2011

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Justice System Unfair to Drug Offenders

(Chicago, IL) – February 2, 2011The Chicago Sun-Times has published an editorial following the release of the final report by the Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission. (See story.)The editorial concludes, “The state can make improvements… by increasing funding for...

TASC News | Apr-08-2008

TASC Advocates, Lawmakers Seek Reduction of Minorities in Illinois Prisons, Offer Solutions

(Springfield, IL) – Drug treatment advocates and state lawmakers today unveiled legislation at a press conference in Springfield to tackle the unyielding escalation of minorities sentenced to Illinois prisons. Representatives from Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities, Inc. (TASC) and State...

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