TADTP RETURNS TO RISE24
By: Mojca Babovič (白茉雅) TADTP Head Researcher
Published: June, 2024
From May 22nd to May 25th, the TADTP team, led by two head consultants, Prosecutor Ta Lin from the Taipei District Prosecutors Office and Mr. Andrew Malanga from the CTBC Anti-Drug Educational Foundation, attended the RISE24 conference. [1]
The RISE conference is a leading training conference on addiction, mental health, and justice reform, organized annually by All Rise[2], a US organization dedicated to educating and offering technical training to treatment court professionals. In Taiwan, All Rise, under the leadership of Mr. Carson Fox, has been a strong supporter of justice reform in drug treatment. TADTP is the only Taiwanese organization that has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with them (in 2019) and has also obtained a translation agreement for three key All Rise documents.[3]
Inspired by last year’s RISE23 training in Texas, this year TADTP travelled to Anaheim, California, and joined over 7,000 passionate public health and safety leaders. We all shared a common enthusiasm: to gain insight into different ways of achieving sustained recovery form substance use and mental health issues within the justice system.
Highlight from RISE24
ALLRISE24 was filled with education, fellowship, and thought-provoking ideas to address the most pressing issues facing justice system and treatment. Douglas B. Marlowe, All Rise senior scientific consultant, highlighted the recently released second edition of “Adult Treatment Court Best Practice Standards”.[4]
The changes in the second edition stem from experiences, observations, and studies over the last decade of treatment court models. For instance, high-need participants now include not only those with compulsive substance use disorder but also individuals with serious mental health or trauma disorders, and other significant needs such as insecure housing, or compulsive gambling. As treatment courts serve a broader population, they must enhance recovery capital through strong complementary services and health-risk prevention measures.
Actually, “recovery capital" was one of the buzzwords during RISE24. Throughout the four incredible days, the central question was: how can we support individuals in developing and sustaining recovery while improving their overall quality of life?
“The Spirit Thrives …”
The sessions I attended primarily focused on treating justice-involved individuals with comorbid mental health and substance use disorders. A significant challenge with this population lies in acknowledging their unique responses to treatment approaches and understanding that their path to recovery differs from those dealing solely with addiction.
Dan Griffin, a renowned addiction expert and one of the conference speakers, likened this complexity to 'The Blind Men and the Elephant' parable. Just as the blind men touch different parts of the elephant and have limited perspectives, addiction and mental health disorders are often addressed in isolation, overlooking their interconnected nature, including shame and trauma.
The fundamental question should shift from why the addiction or mental health disorder? to why the shame and pain? This reframing should prompt another critical question: what constitutes the most effective path to recovery in such circumstances? While Griffin did not offer definitive answers, the packed auditorium of nodding heads reflected a shared recognition among attendees - they all have to navigate these complexities daily.
I realized that the spirit of inquiry and dedication thrives among the attendees of ALLRISE24. They are committed to understanding their clients holistically and seek guidance on how best to achieve this. They play a crucial role in improving the outlook for people with comorbidities, as long as they have access to sufficient education resources – something that RISE conferences advocate for and will continue to do so next May in Florida. RISE25!
[1] https://allriseconference.org/
[4] https://allrise.org/publications/standards/
