HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Connecticut is considering setting up special courts or processes to deal with defendants who are caught up in the ongoing opioid epidemic.

A task force holds its first meeting on Tuesday in at the state courthouse in Torrington to discuss the idea of "Opioid Intervention Courts."

The group is charged with studying whether to test people arrested for opioid use; what the options are for treating the addiction; the development of judicial processes to monitor opioid-dependent arrestees; the use of curfews and electronic monitoring to help ensure the completion of treatment programs, among other issues.

Members of the group include the state's chief court administrator, the chief state's attorney, the chief public defender and the dean of the University of Connecticut School of Law.

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