CBSHS receives $1.15 million to implement and evaluate substance use disorder programs in South Carolina

The Clemson University College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences (CBSHS) has received $1.15 million in funding from the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS) to establish and evaluate law enforcement assisted diversion (LEAD) programs in collaboration with law enforcement agencies across the state of South Carolina.

LEAD is a diversion and deflection program funded through the United States Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance that strives to help people with substance use disorders avoid arrest, prosecution and incarceration by redirecting them to community-based services and treatment programs.

In their role, CBSHS researchers in the Departments of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice and Psychology will design, implement and evaluate LEAD programs in locations across the state.

Bryan Miller, Ph.D., associate dean of research and graduate studies and professor in the sociology, anthropology and criminal justice department, will serve as lead evaluator on the project and oversee its assessment processes.

“The ultimate goal for this project is deflection – or helping people with substance use disorders avoid the criminal justice system entirely by providing them with the resources they need to receive treatment,” said Miller. “This grant is in direct support of the College’s mission to build people and communities as we implement programs to provide individuals with alternatives to incarceration.”

Heidi Zinzow, Ph.D., licensed clinical psychologist, professor in the Department of Psychology and co-director of the CBSHS Center for Addiction and Mental Health Research (CAMHR), and Alain Litwin, M.D., addiction treatment specialist, professor of practice in the Department of Psychology and co-director of CAMHR, will lead the project’s learning collaborative to coordinate LEAD training and provide technical support for law enforcement agencies at each site.

“The collaboration between community members, police officers, mental health and substance use treatment providers and other service agencies has already led to the program’s success in two South Carolina communities,” said Zinzow. “And we are confident the program will reach new heights and continue to address critical areas of need across our state as it becomes more accessible to individuals in need of treatment.”

The project is part of DAODAS’ statewide effort to mitigate substance use disorder-related problems and support police departments and sheriffs’ offices in hiring criminal justice coordinators and case managers dedicated to substance use disorders in six high-risk counties and municipalities throughout South Carolina. Counties were identified based on cases of substance use disorder, treatment capacity and intervention needs.

The College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences is a 21st-century land-grant college joining together a unique combination of schools and departments: Communication, Nursing, Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, Political Science, Psychology, Public Health Sciences and Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice. These areas have distinctive characteristics and missions – all joined together by a common thread of service to people and communities.