Treatment Courts

treatment court
By using a combination of community-based treatment and rigorous monitoring, treatment courts reduce recidivism and the use of incarceration.

We developed New York City’s first drug court, the Brooklyn Treatment Court, and New York’s first mental health court, the Brooklyn Mental Health Court. Today there are thousands of such treatment courts across the country.

Drug courts bring together judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, treatment providers, and court staff in a collaborative effort to address defendants’ substance use disorders. Due in part to a groundbreaking study by researchers from the Center for Justice Innovation, there is a broad consensus that drug courts reduce substance use and recidivism. In recognition of its work in this domain, the Center received the National Leadership Award from the National Association of Drug Court Professionals.

Mental health courts similarly link participants who would ordinarily be prison-bound to long-term community-based treatment. They rely on thorough mental health assessments, individualized treatment plans, and ongoing judicial monitoring to address both the mental health needs of offenders and the public safety concerns of communities.

Initiatives

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News

  • Once-Resistant Rural Court Officials Begin to Embrace Medications to Treat Addiction

    June 29, 2023
    KFF

    In this article, our Director of Treatment Court Programs Monica Christofferson comments on the increasing acceptance of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in the drug court system. The story follows Tennessee Judge O. Duane Slone, his pilot programs with MOUD, and the successful recoveries of participants like Rachel Solomon. In short, as Christofferson put it: “MOUD works.”

  • L.A. criminal court program diverts mentally ill offenders from prosecution

    May 26, 2023
    Los Angeles Times

    Los Angeles County’s jails house a staggering number of people with mental illnesses, where these conditions go untreated and can even get worse. Under the county’s Rapid Diversion Program, operated in partnership with the Center, more than 1,500 people have been given the chance to receive treatment in their communities instead. So far, 350 people have graduated from the program to see their charges reduced or dropped.

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