U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Justice Programs 

Drug Courts 

Background 

Drug courts are specialized court docket programs that target criminal defendants and 

offenders, juvenile offenders, and parents with pending child welfare cases who have 

alcohol and other drug dependency problems. Although drug courts vary in target 

populations and resources, programs are generally managed by a multidisciplinary 

team including judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, community corrections officers, 

social workers, and treatment service professionals. Support from stakeholders 

representing law enforcement, the family, and the community is encouraged through 

participation in hearings, programming, and events such as graduation. 

Adult drug courts employ a program designed to reduce drug use relapse and criminal 

recidivism among defendants and offenders through risk and needs assessment, judicial 

interaction, monitoring and supervision, graduated sanctions and incentives, treatment, 

and various rehabilitation services. Juvenile drug courts apply a similar approach that is 

tailored to the needs of youth with substance use disorders. These programs provide 

youth and their families with counseling, education, and other services to promote 

immediate intervention, treatment, and structure; improve level of functioning; address 

problems that may contribute to drug use; build skills that increase their ability to 

lead drug- and crime-free lives; strengthen the family’s capacity to offer structure and 

guidance; and promote accountability for all involved. 

Family drug courts emphasize treatment for parents with substance use disorders 

to aid in the reunification and stabilization of families affected by parental drug use. 

These programs apply the adult drug court model to cases entering the child welfare 

system that include allegations of child abuse or neglect in which substance abuse is 

identified as a contributing factor. Program goals include helping the parent to become 

emotionally, financially, and personally self-sufficient; promoting the development of 

parenting and coping skills adequate for serving as an effective parent on a day-to-day 

basis; and providing services to their children. 

Other types of drug courts have emerged to address issues specific to unique 

populations, including tribal, driving while intoxicated (DWI), reentry, veterans, 

mental health, and co-occurring programs. 

Program Development, Research, and Dissemination 

Under the Adult Drug Court and Veterans Treatment Court Discretionary Grant 

Program, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) provides financial grants and other

assistance to build drug court capacity for evidence-based practice and increase 

1 ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/bja/205621.pdf 

2 ndci.org/resources/publications/standards 

3 nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/adult-drug-court-research-practice-r2p-initiative 

4 ojjdp.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh176/files/pubs/250368.pdf 

ojjdp.ojp.gov/programs/juvenile-drug-treatment-court-guidelines 

5 ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/bja/188154.pdf 

6 justiceforvets.org/resource/ten-key-components-of-veterans-treatment-court 

7 nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/nijs-multisite-adult-drug-court-evaluation 

November 2020 

NUMBER AND TYPES OF DRUG 

COURTS 

There are more than 3,000 drug courts across 

the United States, half of which are adult 

treatment drug courts. 

Adult drug courts are guided by 10 key 

components (see Defining Drug Courts: 

The Key Components1

), the Best Practice 

Standards, 

2

 and Seven Program 

Design Features3 also available in Spanish. 

Practice guidance resources are available for 

juvenile drug treatment courts.4 

Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts have 

updated The Key Components.5 

Also see The Ten Key Components of 

Veterans Treatment Courts.6 

RESEARCH FINDINGS 

NIJ’s Multisite Adult Drug Court Evaluation7 

found: 

• Participants reported less criminal activity 

(40% vs. 53%) and had fewer rearrests 

(52% vs. 62%) than comparable offenders. 

• Participants reported less drug use (56% 

vs. 76%) and were less likely to test 

positive (29% vs. 46%) than comparable 

offenders. 

• Treatment investment costs were higher 

for participants, but with less recidivism, 

drug courts saved an average of $5,680 

to $6,208 per offender overall. 
 

participation among appropriate target populations. BJA maximizes criminal justice and 

treatment resources via partnerships including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 

Services Administration, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Through the National 

Drug Court Resource Center, BJA provides resources that support criminal justice 

professionals. The National Drug Court Institute delivers onsite and other operations 

development and implementation services under the Adult Drug Court and Veterans 

Treatment Court Training and Technical Assistance Program, and develops training 

curricula for conferences, regional meetings, and other training events. The Adult Drug 

Court State-based Technical Assistance Program at the Center for Court Innovation 

assists state court administrators in capacity building, and supports the online National 

Training System for Treatment Court Practitioners. The Tribal Law and Policy Institute 

(TLPI) serves tribal healing to wellness (drug) courts with a Tribal Healing to Wellness 

Site-specific Training and Technical Assistance Program. 

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) supports juvenile, 

family, and tribal drug court programs through financial grants and other assistance 

available to all programs across the Nation. OJJDP supports the planning and 

implementation of new juvenile drug treatment courts and the enhancement of existing 

juvenile drug treatment courts via partnerships with the National Association of Drug 

Court Professionals and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges for 

Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Training and Technical Assistance. OJJDP supports 

the implementation of Healing to Wellness courts in Indian Country in collaboration 

with the Tribal Drug Court Training and Technical Assistance Center provided by 

TLPI. Finally, OJJDP supports the enhancement of existing family drug courts, and 

the establishment of new programs, through planning and implementation initiatives 

including the Family Drug Courts Training and Technical Assistance. 

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) funds research on drug court processes, impact, 

and cost-efficiency. One evaluation tracked 10 years of cohorts in the Multnomah 

County Drug Court and found rearrests were lower 5 years or more later for participants 

than for comparable drug offenders; however, reductions ranged from 17 percent 

to 26 percent across cohorts with changes in programming and judge assignments.8 

NIJ’s Multisite Adult Drug Court Evaluation found that programs significantly reduce 

drug use and criminal offending — both during and after program participation. 

Compared to traditional case processing and supervision, drug courts have higher 

investment costs, especially in treatment services. However, savings associated with 

victim and criminal justice system costs are greater due to fewer crimes, rearrests, and 

incarcerations. Drug courts that target offenders with high criminogenic risk and high 

substance abuse treatment needs yield the most effective interventions and maximize 

return on investment.9 NIJ’s Evaluation of Second Chance Act Adult Reentry 

Courts found mixed impact and cost results: one demonstrated reduced rearrests, 

reconvictions, and reincarcerations meaning lower costs; whereas recidivism rates 

decreased but not significantly in two sites, and increased in the other sites, meaning 

higher costs. Also, program success may relate to consistent treatment resources for 

a target population with substance use disorders, wraparound services for multiple 

criminogenic needs, and judicial use of incentives and sanctions.10 NIJ currently 

manages the ongoing testing and evaluation of guidelines for juvenile treatment drug 

courts,11 a national survey and a state assessment of best practices in family treatment 

courts. NIJ’s Multisite Evaluation of Veterans Treatment Courts examined process 

and outcomes for eight programs (final report pending). 

BJA and NIJ’s joint Adult Drug Court Research to Practice (R2P) Initiative promotes 

the dissemination of information emerging from research on addiction science, 

substance abuse treatment, and drug court programs. The project awarded to the 

National Center for State Courts and American University produced webinars, webcasts, 

and other research dissemination to practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders. 

RESOURCES* 

BJA Drug Court Discretionary 

Grant Program 

bja.ojp.gov/program/drug-courtdiscretionary-grant-program/ 

overview 

National Drug Court Resource 

Center 

ndcrc.org 

Adult Drug Court Training and 

Technical Assistance 

ndci.org/resource/training/ta 

State-based Adult Drug Court 

Training and Technical Assistance 

courtinnovation.org/training-ta 

National Training System for 

Treatment Court Practitioners 

treatmentcourts.org 

Tribal Healing to Wellness Training 

and Technical Assistance 

wellnesscourts.org 

Family Drug Courts Training and 

Technical Assistance 

cffutures.org/national-fdc-ttaprogram 

Juvenile Drug Treatment Court 

Training and Technical Assistance 

ndci.org/jdtc 

NIJ Overview of Drug Courts 

nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/overviewdrug-courts 

Adult Drug Court Research to 

Practice (R2P) Initiative 

nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/adult-drugcourt-research-practice-r2p-initiative

 * Resources are updated regularly; 

please contact BJA or OJJDP 

with any access issues. 

8 ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/219224.pdf 

9 ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/237108.pdf 

10 ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/251496.pdf NCJ 238527 11 ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/252719.pdf