Justice Core: Helping pregnant women with substance use get treatment while in jail
Official title: Justice Core: Effectiveness of a Jail Diversion Intervention for Pregnant Women with Substance Use Disorder
Funded at Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-11449160 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A pragmatic trial will test whether a jail diversion program (Justice Core) improves access to treatment and perinatal outcomes for pregnant women with substance use issues compared to usual referral after jail release.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $699,748 |
| NIH project number | 1R01DA063702-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11449160 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pregnant women (age 21+) with substance use disorder who are eligible for diversion from participating jails in North Carolina.
✕Less likely to help
Women without a substance use disorder or who are not in jail diversion pathways may not benefit from this specific program.
What this research studies
If you’re a pregnant woman with a substance use disorder and you’re in jail, Justice Core offers a structured assessment, tailored treatment recommendations, and help connecting you to community care before you’re released. The study will randomly assign about 300 participants from six North Carolina jails to either the Justice Core pathway or standard referral to treatment after release. Researchers will measure treatment engagement, relapse risk, and perinatal outcomes to see if this approach keeps mothers and babies healthier. This work is designed to identify practical steps that prisons can take to support effective treatment and safer births.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could make SUD treatment during pregnancy more accessible and reduce poor birth outcomes and overdose risk after release.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research supports the idea that structured diversion and treatment linkage can improve outcomes, but this pragmatic trial will test effectiveness in real jail settings.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Knittel, Andrea Kathleen — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Knittel, Andrea Kathleen
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.