Sarah Dyer, Director of Treatment Court Relations and Education, and Norman Hightower, Reentry Programs Coordinator, attended the RISE26 national conference July 20-23, 2026 in Nashville. Sarah shares insights from their time in Nashville.
All Rise researches and establishes standards for treatment courts across the country. The All Rise annual conference brings together researchers, treatment court alumni, judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, case managers, therapists, probation officers, and law enforcement professionals. In this setting, Norman and I are unique, as most treatment courts do not have restorative justice practitioners involved in their work.
Treatment courts are naturally restorative in many ways, but they operate within a system that remains grounded in punitive mindsets and practices.
The first treatment court was founded in 1989 to take a different approach to crimes committed as a result of an underlying substance use disorder. Rather than simply punishing crimes driven by addiction, this first court sought to address addiction as a public health issue. The result was a model in which individuals could receive treatment, regain stability in their lives, and return to their communities.
Treatment courts are naturally restorative in many ways, but they operate within a system that remains grounded in punitive mindsets and practices. Despite All Rise’s overt invitation to affirm positive and empowering approaches to care, the structure and practices of treatment courts still create logistical and practical barriers to doing so.
Many of the presentations at national and regional conferences underscore the importance of connecting with treatment court participants in ways that honor and uplift their humanity. Yet the practices and structures of the court can socialize individuals into maintaining distance from one another and from those supporting them.
At RISE26, Norman and I gained a deeper understanding of treatment court history, standards, and practices. The conference also gave us an opportunity to discuss how restorative practices align with the best-practice standards established by All Rise, and to consider how restorative practices could enhance and give greater structure to invitations toward positive, empowering care.
Sarah Dyer, PhD, leads Treatment Court Relations and Education research and initiatives at Restorative Justice Project Maine.