Female Opioid Court Participants' Narratives of Siloed Medical, Legal, and Social Service Sector Interactions to Inform Future Integrated Interventions

A gap exists regarding how to design gender-specific interventions for women charged with opioid use disorder (OUD)-related crimes. National recent efforts include opioid courts. Treatment courts present opportunities for earlier intervention for women under judicial supervision. We interviewed 31 female participants in the first known opioid court so they could inform cross-sector integrated approaches to address their needs. Data reveal the complexity of participants' involvement with myriad cross-sector organizations, given the duality of their roles as simultaneous lifetime victims and as OUD-related perpetrators. Participants have difficulty trusting systems intended to help them due to systematic failures to prevent or address abuse and neglect over their lifetimes. The opioid crisis cannot be solved without an understanding of early missed intervention opportunities and a cross-sector approach.