Interactive Computer-Assisted Recovery Enabler (ICARE): Treatment Support Tool for Substance-Using Offenders, North Carolina, 2022-2023

This study addressed a critical gap regarding the use of mobile phone technologies to assist in the treatment process for explicitly justice-involved populations. To address this gap, the study research included designing, implementing, and assessing the use of an appointment notification system called the Interactive Computer-Assisted Recovery Enabler (ICARE) tool. ICARE was developed to improve and support behavioral health nonclinical care management and probation compliance among individuals under community supervision who are referred by their probation officer (PO).
The purpose of the ICARE was to automatically transmit appointment reminders to Treatment Accountability for Safe Communities (TASC) clients, starting from the point of probation referral to the program, with the goal of increasing their care management appointment attendance, increasing their care management completion, and improving their probation compliance.
This research included a two study approach, one formative and one focused on outcomes, where the goal was to enhance the ability to support clients by:

increasing their engagement and retention in care management and treatment
reducing the degree of their substance use and improving mental health
complying with their terms of supervision
and reducing their criminal behavior.