Examining The Characteristics of Criminal Justice Referred Substance Abuse Treatments in Cases in Hawaii

Liliyah-Joy Quel-Kaina | Chaminade University of Honolulu | liliyah-joy.quel-kaina@student.chaminade.edu

Dataset

• Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 2022 Treatment Episode Data.

Machine Learning

• Seaborn, Pandas, Matplotly, ChatGPT, Catboost, Shap, K means cluster, and Kmodes

Results

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• Substance abuse is a major issue in Hawaii, especially meth, marijuana, and alcohol.
• Many treatment admissions come from criminal justice referrals.
• Referrals often involve individuals with arrest histories, low employment, and no insurance.
• Outcomes vary by treatment type, payment method, and substance.
• This research asks if these referrals support recovery or just meet legal requirements.

• Does the proportion of substance abuse treatment episodes reported to TEDS-D that are referred by the criminal justice system vary by state?
• Does the primary substance of choice vary by referral source, and occurrence in Hawaii?
• Do criminal justice-referred treatment episodes tend to cluster together based on the other 70 features in TEDS-D? What are the characteristics of this cluster?

Introduction/Background

Figure 1

Methods, Data, Softwares, Analytics, and TACC Supercomputer and Resources

Discussion

• Figure 1 (Choropleth Map) shows Hawaiʻi has a moderate rate of criminal justice-referred treatment admissions, confirming that the legal system plays a significant role in how people enter treatment in the state.
• Figure 2 (Cluster Heatmap) identifies a distinct group with 62% criminal justice referrals, mostly meth users with prior treatment episodes, low or no insurance, and a high reliance on no-charge care—highlighting the complex needs and barriers faced by justice-involved individuals in Hawaiʻi’s treatment system.

Conclusion

• Methamphetamine use dominates substance abuse treatment in Hawaiʻi, especially among those referred by the criminal justice system.
• Justice-involved individuals face legal pressure, limited health coverage, low employment, and repeated treatment attempts—factors that complicate recovery.
• Findings support the need for targeted interventions to better serve justice-involved populations.

Future: These findings can guide local policy, improve treatment program design, and support alternatives to incarceration in Hawaiʻi.

Future & Limitations

Download TEDS Data Files | CBHSQ Data. (2025). Samhsa.gov. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/data-we-collect/teds-treatment-episode-data-set/datafiles?data_collection=1022

References

Research Question

Figure 2

Thank you to group leader Connor Flynn, Rylon Chong, Kelly Gaither, Kahoalii Keahi-Wood, Chrystie Naeole and mentors Clara Slate-Liu and Lela Gi, and all spice leaders.

Acknowledgements

Method

Limitation: A key limitation was difficulty finding detailed personal and referral background data in TEDS-2022, which would have helped understand patients’ life circumstances and reasons behind their substance use.

Examining The Characteristics of Criminal Justice Referred Substance Abuse Treatments in Cases in Hawaii

Liliyah-Joy Quel-Kaina | Chaminade University of Honolulu | liliyah-joy.quel-kaina@student.chaminade.edu

Dataset

• Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 2022 Treatment Episode Data.

Machine Learning

• Seaborn, Pandas, Matplotly, ChatGPT, Catboost, Shap, K means cluster, and Kmodes

Results

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

• Substance abuse is a major issue in Hawaii, especially meth, marijuana, and alcohol.
• Many treatment admissions come from criminal justice referrals.
• Referrals often involve individuals with arrest histories, low employment, and no insurance.
• Outcomes vary by treatment type, payment method, and substance.
• This research asks if these referrals support recovery or just meet legal requirements.

• Does the proportion of substance abuse treatment episodes reported to TEDS-D that are referred by the criminal justice system vary by state?
• Does the primary substance of choice vary by referral source, and occurrence in Hawaii?
• Do criminal justice-referred treatment episodes tend to cluster together based on the other 70 features in TEDS-D? What are the characteristics of this cluster?

Introduction/Background

Figure 1

Methods, Data, Softwares, Analytics, and TACC Supercomputer and Resources

Discussion

• Figure 1 (Choropleth Map) shows Hawaiʻi has a moderate rate of criminal justice-referred treatment admissions, confirming that the legal system plays a significant role in how people enter treatment in the state.
• Figure 2 (Cluster Heatmap) identifies a distinct group with 62% criminal justice referrals, mostly meth users with prior treatment episodes, low or no insurance, and a high reliance on no-charge care—highlighting the complex needs and barriers faced by justice-involved individuals in Hawaiʻi’s treatment system.

Conclusion

• Methamphetamine use dominates substance abuse treatment in Hawaiʻi, especially among those referred by the criminal justice system.
• Justice-involved individuals face legal pressure, limited health coverage, low employment, and repeated treatment attempts—factors that complicate recovery.
• Findings support the need for targeted interventions to better serve justice-involved populations.

Future: These findings can guide local policy, improve treatment program design, and support alternatives to incarceration in Hawaiʻi.

Future & Limitations

Download TEDS Data Files | CBHSQ Data. (2025). Samhsa.gov. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/data-we-collect/teds-treatment-episode-data-set/datafiles?data_collection=1022

References

Research Question

Figure 2

Thank you to group leader Connor Flynn, Rylon Chong, Kelly Gaither, Kahoalii Keahi-Wood, Chrystie Naeole and mentors Clara Slate-Liu and Lela Gi, and all spice leaders.

Acknowledgements