Montgomery County STEER

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2017

Stop, Triage, Engage, Educate and Rehabilitate (STEER) is a pre-booking law enforcement and drug treatment linkage program operating in Montgomery County, Maryland. Like many police deflection programs, STEER developed in response to the prevalence of individuals with substance use disorders cycling through the criminal justice system. Rather than arrest certain individuals for behaviors linked to their drug use, criminal justice and behavioral health stakeholders from Montgomery County—including the State’s Attorney, Public Defender, Corrections, Human Services, Police Department and local treatment providers—decided a partnership between police and community treatment could lead to better outcomes.