Case Closure Among the Lancaster County’s Family Treatment Drug Court: The Role of Personal Relationships

• Parent substance use is the second-leading cause for childrens’ removal from the home in Nebraska (Voices for Children, 2018) with 10-30% being removed again later on (Wulczyn et al., 2007). • The theory of Therapeutic Jurisprudence suggests using a treatment-oriented approach to reduce recidivism and mitigate the negative psychological effects that the legal system may have on offenders (Fessinger et al., 2018). • The Judge acts as a team leader for caseworkers and attorneys who use a collaborative approach in the Family Treatment Drug Court (FTDC). • Team meetings between parents and court professionals include discussion about parents’ progress to help ensure a rehabilitative environment. • Social exchange theory says that interpersonal relationships form with the exchange of emotional resources (Rupp & Cropanzano, 2002). • Preliminary findings suggest that FTDC participants who receive support in high quality relationships may have a faster time to case closure (Fessinger et al., 2018). • Research question: Do the high quality relationships between adjudicated parents and court professionals explain faster time to case closure in FTDC