Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Not Yet Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT07700407

Preventing Overdose and Promoting Recovery Through Court Navigation

This project is a hybrid type I clinical trial to assess the effectiveness and implementation determinants of a peer-led court navigation program for people who use drugs and are passing through county courthouses. Courthouses are a common point of contact for people with behavioral health needs, but outside of specialty court models, they remain underexplored as a setting for connecting people to substance use disorder treatment and related services. This study will test whether court navigation led by peer recovery specialists can increase receipt of substance use disorder treatment and reduce overdose and incarceration. Peer court navigators will meet with participants in courthouse settings, assess their needs, provide information and referrals, and offer follow-up support for up to 3 months. Peer recovery specialists, who have lived experience with substance use recovery, are increasingly being integrated into criminal legal and community-based settings; however, peer-led court navigation remains an innovative and understudied approach.

Not Yet Recruiting

Trial opening soon.

Get Notified

Key information

Age range

18 year–100 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

St. Joseph County Courthouse 1, South Bend, Indiana, United States

Loading trial locations.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Aged 18 years or older
  • Current resident of Indiana
  • Able to complete study procedures in English
  • Meets at least one of the following criteria: used heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, or cocaine in the past 12 months; is interested in resources or treatment for a substance use disorder; or experienced an opioid-related overdose in the past 12 months

Exclusion criteria

  • Has been sentenced to incarceration in jail or prison for the next 12 months

Treatment and study plan

CourtConnect

Behavioral

CourtConnect connects individuals in courthouses with peer court navigators who provide information, referrals, and support to address substance use disorder treatment needs and related health and social needs. Navigation begins in the courthouse and continues in the community through follow-up support for up to 3 months.

Information only

Other

Participants assigned to the information-only group receive information about health and social services in the community from a non-peer research assistant. They do not receive peer court navigation or follow-up support from a peer court navigator.

Primary outcomes

  1. Administratively documented substance use disorder treatment engagement

    Time frame: 90 days after baseline

    This participant-level outcome will indicate whether a participant has any administratively documented substance use disorder treatment engagement within 90 days after baseline. Treatment engagement will be determined from linked state administrative records, including Medicaid claims for substance use disorder treatment services and prescription drug monitoring program records showing dispensed medications used to treat substance use disorder. For participants without administratively documented substance use disorder treatment during the 90 days before baseline, a qualifying post-baseline record will be classified as treatment initiation. For participants with administratively documented substance use disorder treatment during the 90 days before baseline, a qualifying post-baseline record will be classified as continued treatment engagement. The outcome will be reported as the proportion of participants in each study arm with administratively documented treatment engagement.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Number of participants with a fatal or nonfatal overdose

    Time frame: 12 months after baseline

    Fatal and nonfatal overdose will be measured using statewide vital records and emergency medical records from ambulance services and hospital emergency departments. Participants will be classified as having experienced an overdose if records show a fatal overdose or an encounter for a nonfatal overdose during the 12 months after baseline.

  2. Number of participants with a jail booking or prison entry

    Time frame: 12 months after baseline

    Incarceration through jail booking or prison entry will be measured using statewide criminal legal records. Participants will be classified as having experienced incarceration if records show a booking into a jail facility or entry into the state prison system during the 12 months after baseline.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Bradley Ray, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

919-324-5492

Cari Megerian, MPH

CONTACT

[email protected]

415-412-0830

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

RTI International

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Registry information

Official study title

Hybrid Type I Trial of a Peer-Led Court Navigation Program to Improve Substance Use Disorder Treatment Receipt and Reduce Overdose and Incarceration Among People Passing Through Courthouses

Acronym: POPCORN

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2030
First posted
Jul 14, 2026
Registry last updated
Jul 14, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.