Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin on Thursday announced that his office is awarding up to $1 million to the state’s specialty courts.
The grant come from the state’s portion of opioid settlement funds, which is managed by the Attorney General’s Office.
Specialty courts provide opportunities for certain offenders, typically those who have struggled with substance abuse, to get treatment and training to put them on a path that leads to restoration and health instead of recidivism and addiction.
The grant will provide judges with funding to pay for approved services for drug court participants on an ongoing basis.
“This approach ensures that the money follows those who need help the most and will be used to provide critical services such as transitional housing for participants, mental health treatment and substance abuse recovery, community mentors and peer recovery support services, and transportation assistance,” Griffin said in a statement. “Providing these resources to our Specialty Courts will better equip them and increase the number of lives that are being transformed.”
There are more than 100 specialty courts around the state.
Griffin’s office announced last week that the state would receive up to $13.5 million from Kroger in a multi-state settlement over the grocery chain’s role in the opioid crisis. The state in 2021 agreed to a $216 million settlement with pharmaceutical distributors and a major drug manufacturer. The sum is being paid out over 18 years.
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