Drug Courts

Drug treatment courts (DTCs) rely on structured supervision and treatment to curb substance use among justice-involved individuals. Using group-based trajectory modeling, this study identifies early-phase patterns of in-program substance use among 320 adult DTC participants, measured through positive drug tests across the first 90 days.

Drug treatment courts (DTCs) offer a community-based alternative sanction that prioritizes combining substance use treatment and judicial oversight to support the recovery of system-involved individuals who have substance use issues.

Drug court programs were introduced in 1989 to reduce incarceration of people with drug-related offenses by integrating substance use treatment into court settings.