Rulo Strategies LLC

Kristina Bryant and I are excited to be in Clovis, New Mexico, for a Rural Justice Collaborative Advisory Council meeting. It is energizing to hear about the good work in rural justice systems around the country, where there are continued opportunities to improve rural jails and courts, and how states are addressing legal deserts.

Check out this great guide from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that provides practical, evidence-based information that first responder agencies, their partners, and communities can use to implement or expand practices and programs for linking people to substance use services.

For anyone interested in rural justice and rural attitudes toward law, this paper from UC Davis Legal Studies is worth a read. "Among the topics addressed are rural legal consciousness, including attitudes toward law and the state more broadly; the rural lawyer shortage and its impact in different substantive contexts (e.g., environmental justice and water law, heirs' property, other aspects of racial justice); and a range of administration-of-justice contexts (e.g., criminal, immigration, housing).

This is a great summary of over 40 practices that judges can adopt to become more trauma-informed in their work that was gathered from interviews with eight judges in North Carolina.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released a toolkit for the first Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month, to be observed January 2025. Treatment Month raises awareness of the benefits and availability of evidence-based treatments for people with a substance use disorder; addresses barriers to treatment, including stigma; and normalizes seeking help. The toolkit includes information about weekly themes, social media graphics and messaging, a webinar background, and resources that public health organizations, treatment providers, professional associations, and others can use to spread awareness of Treatment Month. Find a link to all of the resources below.

We're wrapping up the year filled with gratitude for all of the incredible people we've had the opportunity to work with on rural justice-related projects across America. Happy New Year!

This month's Rural Justice Collaborative Innovation Site Spotlight shines on Montana's Rural Incubator Project for Lawyers (RIPL). The program provides a 24-month fellowship program that trains and supports attorneys to develop solo or small firm practices that provide legal services to low-income Montanans in rural communities. Established by the Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA), the fellows are required to provide 300 hours of legal assistance annually to low-income clients pro bono or at a modest means rate. The MLSA has a statewide legal services application system that allows low- and moderate-income people to request legal services through an online and phone-based application system. MLSA refers clients to RIPL Fellows, who determine how best to handle clients’ needs, from providing legal advice in a phone consultation to accepting cases in limited or full-scope representation.

This is a great webinar by the The Fletcher Group, Inc. that shares valuable tips on facing the number one challenge most people fear the most: public speaking. Recovery allies can watch this video to learn how to become better public speakers so they can promote their good work with maximum impact. Useful information such as, “How do you get to know your audience?” begins at minute 20:45; technical tips such as using vocal variety, eye contact, and body language (begins at 23:35); types of stories (begins at 38:20), crafting your story (begins at 45:31); and suggestions for using sensitive stories (begins at 54:11).

This study published in JAMA in September examines whether Medicaid expansion in Rhode Island was associated with mortality among persons who were formerly incarcerated. They linked 10 years of incarceration release data to death certificate data and conducted an interrupted time series analysis with a comparison group to evaluate immediate and sustained changes in post-release rates among persons who were formerly incarcerated in Rhode Island compared with North Carolina, which had not expanded Medicaid during the study period. The study found a persistent decrease in deaths due to all causes.

We're proud to spotlight this month's Reaching Rural initiative fellowship team from New Hampshire. This group made up of representatives from probation and parole, police, peer recovery, opioid abatement, and continuum of care professionals, is working together to make their state healthier with holistic solutions that promote health equity. They have strong focuses on prevention, education, and access to care.