Overview of Drug Courts

NIJ Seeks Research Partner Sites for Veterans Treatment Court Evaluation

NIJ seeks programs that are interested in participating in the NIJ Multisite Impact and Cost -Efficiency Evaluation of Veterans Treatment Courts. To learn more, see the webinar on NIJ’s Multisite Impact and Cost-Efficiency Evaluation of Veterans Treatment Courts.

If your organization is interested in becoming a research partner site, contact us at [email protected].

Research to Practice Initiative

The Adult Drug Court Research to Practice Initiative promotes the dissemination of emerging research on drug courts.

Drug courts are specialized court docket programs that target criminal defendants, juveniles who have been convicted of a drug offense, and parents with pending child welfare cases who have alcohol and other drug dependency problems.

Find a drug court using the National Drug Court Resource Center's database.

The Drug Court Model

Although drug courts vary in target population, program design, and service resources, they are generally based on a comprehensive model involving:

• Screening and assessment of risks, needs, and responsivity.
• Judicial interaction.
• Monitoring (e.g., drug testing) and supervision.
• Graduated sanctions and incentives.
• Treatment and rehabilitation services.

Drug courts are usually managed by a nonadversarial and multidisciplinary team including judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, community corrections, 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 like graduation.

For information on evidence based practices, visit BJA-NIJ Adult Drug Court Research to Practice (R2P) Initiative.

Read about NIJ’s Multisite Adult Drug Court Evaluation

Learn about NIJ’s research on problem-solving courts

Also see NIJ's webpage on Drug Court Performance Measures, Program Evaluation and Cost Efficiency.

For information on training and technical assistance resources:

• National Drug Court Resource Center.
• Drug Courts flyer on resources supported by BJA, OJJDP and NIJ (pdf, 2 pages).

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