Examples of State Problem-Solving Courts in the United States
| Problem-Solving Court | State Example and Description |
|---|---|
| Adult Drug Courts | New York: Defendants with “charges where drug addiction is a component of their offense may be eligible to participate in a criminal [drug treatment court] program. Those who successfully complete their drug treatment court program may have their charges dismissed or reduced or may receive a reduction in their sentence.”79 |
| Veterans Treatment Courts | Michigan: Veterans treatment court “uses a hybrid integration of drug court and mental health court principles” and “promote sobriety, recovery, and stability through a coordinated response that involves collaboration with the traditional partners found in drug courts and mental health courts.”80 |
| Juvenile Drug Courts | California: “Juvenile drug court programs provide the intensive judicial intervention and intensive community supervision of juveniles involved in substance abuse that is not generally available through the traditional juvenile court process.”81 |
| Family Drug Courts | Washington: “A family dependency treatment court is a juvenile or family court docket of which selected abuse, neglect, and dependency cases are identified where parental substance abuse is a primary factor.”82 |
| Driving-Under-the-Influence (DUI) Courts | Georgia: “The DUI Court Program is an interdisciplinary team approach” and “partners with the program participants throughout the treatment process to ensure individual needs are met while restoring accountability.”83 |
| Tribal Wellness Courts | New Mexico: “The mission of the Urban Native American Healing to Wellness Court is to create an atmosphere of healing through best practices and traditional methods in pursuit of spiritual and physical recovery for Native Americans with two or more [driving while under the influence] convictions.”84 |
| Mental Health Courts | Florida: Broward County's Misdemeanor Mental Health Court “handles cases involving nonviolent, misdemeanor defendants identified as mentally ill or developmentally disabled. It is a voluntary pre-adjudication program, that is, it diverts people into treatment before they face trial if they agree to follow the court's direction.”85 |
| Human Trafficking Courts | Ohio: “CATCH blends punitive sentences with a 2-year treatment-oriented nonadversarial program for rearrested prostitutes who suffer from posttraumatic stress syndrome, depression, and drug addiction.”86 |
Source: Adapted from National Drug Court Institute.49