The PodTASC: Promoting Healthy Communities Through Innovative Treatments Within 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. 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. The PodTASC is currently hosted by Liz Wiggins, the Communications Director on the TASC Board.
Episodes
Sunday May 12, 2024
Sunday May 12, 2024
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.
Show links:
Midland County Probation Department
Midland County Drug Court
Thriving United
RISE24 (Conference)
AllRise
Texas Association of Specialty Courts
Saturday Apr 27, 2024
Saturday Apr 27, 2024
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 Phillips shares how Texas courts can lead the charge in recovery.
Show links:
Grayson County Website, 59th District Court
Texas Counseling Association
Texas Association of Specialty Courts
Judicial Commission on Mental Health
Texoma Behavioral Health Leadership Team
AllRise (Formerly known as National Drug Court Professionals)
Saturday Mar 16, 2024
6. Things You Should Know When You Create a Texas Specialty Court
Saturday Mar 16, 2024
Saturday Mar 16, 2024
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 tips in this episode that can help you.
As promised, find links and information below about what was discussed in the show:
Contact the show with comments or questions by emailing ThePodTASC@gmail.com.
TASC is hosting its annual training conference on March 26-28, 2024, in Fort Worth. Registration opened January 5th. Learn more: http://tasctx.org/conference.html
Learn more about the Texas Association of Specialty Courts (TASC) at http://tasctx.org/index.html.
Learn more about the Specialty Court Resource Center: http://www.txspecialtycourts.org/index.html
Learn more about SAHMSA Grants: https://www.samhsa.gov/grants
Learn more about the Office of Court Administration: https://www.txcourts.gov/about-texas-courts/specialty-courts/
Learn more about Criminal Justice Division funding: https://egrants.gov.texas.gov/
Learn more about the Bureau of Justice Assistance funding: https://bja.ojp.gov/funding
Learn more about the NPC Research Best Assessment: https://allrise.org/trainings/best-assessment-tool/
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
5. It’s All About the Kids and the Data
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
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 links/information below about what was discussed in the show:
Contact the show with comments or questions by emailing ThePodTASC@gmail.com.
TASC is hosting its annual training conference on March 26-28, 2024, in Fort Worth. Registration opened January 5th. Learn more: http://tasctx.org/conference.html
Learn more about the Texas Association of Specialty Courts (TASC) at http://tasctx.org/index.html.
Learn more about El Paso Juvenile Probation Department programs and about Rosie Medina here: https://juv.epcounty.com/#services
Learn more about the Annie E. Casey Foundation here: https://www.aecf.org
To learn more the National Council for Juvenile and Family Court Judges, see: https://www.ncjfcj.org
Friday Feb 16, 2024
4. Families That Recover Together, Stay Together
Friday Feb 16, 2024
Friday Feb 16, 2024
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:
Contact the show with comments or questions by emailing ThePodTASC@gmail.com.
TASC is hosting its annual training conference on March 26-28, 2024, in Fort Worth. Registration opened January 5th. Learn more: http://tasctx.org/conference.html
Learn more about the Texas Association of Specialty Courts (TASC) at http://tasctx.org/index.html.
Learn more about All Rise here: https://allrise.org/ and about their annual conference being held on May 22-25, 2024 in California, here: https://allrise.org/trainings/rise/
To contact Judge Aurora Martinez-Jones, see the Travis County County directory page: https://www.traviscountytx.gov/courts/civil/district/126
Learn more about the Travis County Family Drug Treatment Court (Parenting in Recovery): https://www.parentinginrecovery.com/
The National Council for Juvenile and Children Court Judges: https://www.ncjfcj.org/
The Texas Children's Commission: https://www.texaschildrenscommission.gov/
Thursday Feb 01, 2024
3. Including the Right Nonprofit on the Team
Thursday Feb 01, 2024
Thursday Feb 01, 2024
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:
Contact the show with comments or questions by emailing ThePodTASC@gmail.com
TASC is hosting its annual training conference on March 26-28, 2024, in Fort Worth. Registration opened January 5th. Learn more: http://tasctx.org/conference.html
Learn more about the Texas Association of Specialty Courts (TASC) at http://tasctx.org/index.html.
Learn more about Justice Forward here: https://www.justiceforwardtx.org/about-us and learn about their upcoming events at https://www.justiceforwardtx.org/events
Learn about party sober and their events here: https://www.partysober.org
To learn more about free nonprofit management classes, see: https://www.nonprofitready.org
Thursday Jan 11, 2024
2. The Evolution of Probation
Thursday Jan 11, 2024
Thursday Jan 11, 2024
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:
Contact the show with comments or questions by emailing ThePodTASC@gmail.com.
TASC is hosting its annual training conference on March 26-28, 2024, in Fort Worth. Registration opened January 5th. Learn more: http://tasctx.org/conference.html
Learn more about the Texas Association of Specialty Courts (TASC) at http://tasctx.org/index.html.
Learn more about All Rise here: https://allrise.org/ and about their annual conference being held on May 22-25, 2024 in California, here: https://allrise.org/trainings/rise/
Behavioral Health Solutions https://www.bhsst.org/
To contact Tino Lopez, see the Hidalgo County directory page: https://www.hidalgocounty.us/directory.aspx?eid=260
Thursday Jan 04, 2024
1. Striving for Excellence
Thursday Jan 04, 2024
Thursday Jan 04, 2024
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 plays in challenges for participants and the need for individualized treatment.
As promised, find links/information below about what was discussed in the show:
Contact the show with comments or questions by emailing ThePodTASC@gmail.com.
TASC is hosting its annual training conference on March 26-28, 2024, in Fort Worth. Registration opens January 5th. Learn more: http://tasctx.org/conference.html
Learn more about the Texas Association of Specialty Courts (TASC) at http://tasctx.org/index.html.
Learn more about All Rise here: https://allrise.org/ and about their annual conference being held on May 22-25, 2024 in California, here: https://allrise.org/trainings/rise/.
Information about the Texas Center for the Judiciary's annual DWI court team training can be found https://www.yourhonor.com/Online/Online/Events/2024-Conferences/2024-DWI-Conferences/Home.aspx?EventKey=24DWICT.
To contact Judge Barker, see the Williamson County directory page: https://www.wilcotx.gov/426/Court-at-Law-Two
Friday Dec 15, 2023
Trailer: Coming Soon!
Friday Dec 15, 2023
Friday Dec 15, 2023
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.
ABOUT TASC
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; (3) Provide support for jurisdictions wanting to establish drug courts.
TASC is a nonprofit organization with board members from various professions and experiences with specialty court programs. Many of our members include individuals who makeup specialty court treatment teams across the state and who have a passion for building a better system to treat justice-involved individuals in need.