Justice & Recovery: Exploring Texas Specialty Court Programs
This is the official podcast presented by the Texas Association of Specialty Courts where we talk all things related to Texas specialty court programs. This show was previously titled The PodTASC but was rebranded to Justice & Recovery in November 2024. Episodes feature guest speakers with various specialty court experiences. We go deep on backgrounds and many characteristics on what it takes to operate a successful specialty court in Texas. The Texas Association of Specialty Court Courts (TASC) builds and strengthens Texas specialty courts through collaboration, advocacy and education. TASC was founded to: (1) Increase local and statewide political, media and community awareness of the existence and success of drug courts; (2) Support legislation authorizing funding for the operation of drug courts; and (3) Provide support for jurisdictions wanting to establish drug courts. Justice & Recovery is currently hosted by Liz Wiggins, the Communications Director on the TASC Board.
Episodes
In this episode of Justice and Recovery: Exploring Texas Specialty Court Programs, we sit down with Erin Garza, North Texas Regional Account Manager for Smart Start—a company that’s been saving lives through alcohol monitoring technology for over 30 years.
A former Dallas County probation officer, Erin shares her journey into the field and gives us an inside look at how Smart Start’s ignition interlock and portable alcohol monitori...
This week on Justice & Recovery, we're excited to feature Jaylen Nalls from Intoxalock, a proud sponsor of the TX Association of Specialty Courts conference! Jaylen shares his journey in criminal justice, highlighting the critical need for resources to address drunk driving.
Learn about Intoxalock's history, their diverse services like ignition interlock devices and portable options, and their commitment to 24/7 customer suppor...
This episode of Justice & Recovery is essential for Texas Specialty Court programs receiving state grants. We delve into the Texas Peer Review Model and Best Assessments, explaining their potential to significantly improve and strengthen program operations.
Join host Liz Wiggins, the official podcast of the Texas Association of Specialty Courts, as we highlight the real people behind the work and the tangible impact of these pr...
Today's episode includes guest speaker, Hank Judin, a longtime criminal defense attorney in the Dallas area who serves as the defense attorney for the Dallas Initiative for Diversion and Expedited Rehabilitation and Treatment (DIVERT Court) program. He is also a past president of the TASC board and a past president of the Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
As promised, links/information discussed during the show can be...
Welcome back for our next episode on Season 2. As a reminder, The PodTASC has been rebranded to Justice & Recovery. Same show, different name, as we continue to explore Texas Specialty Court programs. Liz brings another wonderful guest speaker to the show - Stephen Ellison, a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor of Midland County. Stephen shares his journey from a career in the food industry to his current role as the Intensi...
We are back with another season of the show! We've renamed the show from The PodTASC to Justice & Recovery. In season 1, we had over 1,000 downloads! We are starting this 2nd season off with an overview about Texas specialty court programs. Welcome Hilary Wright to the show. She is a prosecutor in Tarrant County and joined the TASC Board this past year. She is the Vice President and Education & Committee Chair. She prepared...
Jennifer McMorries of Midland County joins the show to share her struggle to sobriety. Her story can give you hope after addiction and strength to break the cycle. Jennifer shares about her struggles and the kindness she received along the way. She shares about the people that inspired her and how she now uses her past experiences to help others. She is a living example of "paying it forward" and brave example of power of recovery....
Judge Phillips of Grayson County joins Liz on The PodTASC for a discussion of his journey from his legal practice to policy work to the bench and beyond. He picked up the reigns as TASC President on March 27, 2024, and is ready to lead the statewide organization in its continued transformation from education-focus to impact-focus. From the heroes that inspired him to the best practices that he strives to always implement, Judge Phi...
Liz is back on The PodTASC to discuss the things you should know when creating a new program in Texas. Guest speakers are Erin Morgan, the current TASC Board President, and Amber Gregory, TASC Executive Director and Program Manager for the Specialty Court Resource Center. If you've been thinking about starting a treatment program in a court near you, this is the episode to listen to. Even if you already have a program, there are t...
The PodTASC is back with another phenomenal guest speaker, Rosie Medina, Chief Juvenile Probation Officer of El Paso County. Rosie shares about her experiences with juvenile specialty court programs and how data can be used to reevaluate your program. Juvenile specialty or treatment court programs impact children, teens, and families. These programs include juvenile drug courts and juvenile mental health courts.
As promised, find ...
The Honorable Aurora Martinez- Jones joins the show to talk about her Family Drug Treatment Court program in Austin, Texas. She shares about the best practices that guide her team and how the program impacts families. This program serves a variety of participants, including single mothers, single fathers, pregnant or expecting mothers, and more.
As promised, find links/information below about what was discussed in the show:
Liz is back with an inspirational guest speaker, Devon Anderson, the CEO/President of Justice Forward. Devon shares how Justice Forward supports 23 specialty courts in Harris, Galveston and Fort Bend Counties. With creative inspirational incentives and ideas on how to focus on housing opportunities for participants, this episode has tips for everyone.
As promised, find links/information below about what was discussed in the show:
...Liz brings another fantastic guest speaker to the show, Faustino "Tino" Lopez, the Director of the Hidalgo County Adult Probation Department. Tino shares how the role of probation has evolved over the years and how the role of a probation officer fits in the specialty court treatment team.
As promised, find links/information below about what was discussed in the show:
Liz tries out her newly acquired podcasting skills in the PodTASC's first episode with guest speaker, the Honorable Laura Barker, of County Court at Law #2 in Williamson County, TX. Judge Barker shares how she uses best practices with her Veteran's Treatment Court and DWI/Drug Court programs, and how she strives to ensure her programs meet the ever-changing needs of the community. These programs consider the role mental health play...
The Texas Association of Specialty Courts is bringing you a podcast solely dedicated to all things specialty court programs. Join us in January 2024 as we kick off our first episode!
For questions and comments, email ThePodTASC@gmail.com and to learn more about TASC visit our website at http://tasctx.org/.
For information about the 2024 TASC conference, visit http://tasctx.org/conference.html.
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