Thus, the concept of treatment-oriented courts was born. Focusing on individuals whose major problems stem from alcohol and other drug use, these courts compel individuals into AOD treatment and supervise them throughout the treatment process. In exchange for successful completion of the treatment program, the court may dismiss or reduce the original charge, not impose a sentence or offer some lesser penalty. Treatment-oriented drug courts transform the roles of both criminal justice practitioners and AOD treatment providers. On the treatment side, providers are now free to focus greater energy on assisting participants instead of enforcing sanctions.
Drug courts create new and different roles for judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys.
In a drug court these players are not adversaries in the traditional sense, but rather work together in concert for the sole purpose of helping defendants become drug-free. To facilitate an individual's progress in treatment, the prosecutor and defense counsel must be ready and willing to shed their traditional adversarial courtroom relationship and work together as members of a unified team. The environment of the Drug Court is clear and unambiguous. The rules are clear, easy to understand, and most important, within the defendant's control. It is a performance-based system, with measurable expectations.