The success of digital therapeutics and telehealth are empirically well documented. What is less understood is what is needed to successfully adopt, sustain, and scale up these efforts in criminal justice settings to maximize both availability and effectiveness. Making evidence-based technology available to particularly vulnerable populations during the pandemic is important and justice-involved substance use disorder (SUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) populations that use the app will have greater support through CBT4CBT, support groups for patients following treatment regimens and contact with clinicians.

This project will study engagement and utilization of the Connections App, the public-facing name for the Addiction-Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (A-CHESS) technology developed by CHESS Health to support e-recovery, CBT4CBT and e-therapy, among justice-involved populations with SUD and justice organizations. The Connections App supports patients in recovery by offering anonymous, prosocial engagement with others in recovery, evidence-based brief addiction monitoring surveys and relapse prevention tools, connections to their care team, and digital cognitive behavioral therapy.

The Addiction Policy Forum will extend access to the Connections App to SUD/OUD patients in approximately 25 agencies, including drug courts, state departments of corrections, community justice agencies, and community-based organizations. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the use of the Connections App improves the outcomes for those with substance use disorders (SUD) and opioid use disorders (OUD), especially those involved in the criminal justice system.

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Study Settings: Courts, Jails/Prisons, Community Corrections