Peer Support Services as a Recovery Strategy in Treatment Courts

Treatment courts increasingly incorporate peer support services to mentor and encourage participants. We use a mixed methods approach to quantitatively assess the prevalence of peer support services in treatment courts and factors that affect implementation, and qualitatively describe how these services are implemented and perspectives on these practices. We found peer support services were prevalent in the responding treatment courts, and several factors facilitated implementation. Peers performed various services, demonstrating adaptability for local contexts. There was nearly universal support from participants and team members for peer support services. However, implementation challenges were identified, with insufficient funding being a notable barrier.