Civil legal needs of individuals in drug treatment

This report describes the findings of a pilot study that examined 17 domains of civil legal problems among individuals in drug treatment in one urban setting, the extent to which they seek help to resolve a potential legal problem, and their reasons for not seeking legal assistance. More than half the participants reported at least one legal problem related to health care and/or work, and nearly half reported legal problems related to their family, civil liberties, and/or neighborhood/community concerns. Less than one in five, however, sought legal assistance for problems in the five top-ranked domains, with the exception of family problems. The primary reasons for not seeking assistance were a lack of awareness that a problem was a legal issue and/or uncertainty about who could help. While preliminary in nature, the pilot study suggests that a significant proportion of treatment clients have civil legal problems and that treatment programs could help clients identify legal problems and resources for assistance.