The 36th District Drug Treatment Court program is a court-supervised substance use disorder treatment program for adults who have a pending misdemeanor case and a diagnosed substance use disorder. The goal of the program is to break the cycle of substance use disorder, crime, and incarceration. It is a post-adjudication program, meaning all defendants who enter the program must enter a plea and be sentenced into the program as a special condition of probation.

Established: 1998
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Court type: Urban
Primary track: Adult drug court
Other tracks: Mental health, veterans

The Collier County Treatment Court is for individuals over 18 years old with a pending felony case and a diagnosed substance use disorder. It is a post-adjudication program, meaning all defendants who enter the program must enter a plea and be sentenced into the program as a special condition of probation. Entry into the program is voluntary; however, once an individual has been sentenced, they may not voluntarily withdraw from the program without facing a violation of probation.

Established: 1999
Location: Naples, Florida
Court type: Suburban
Primary track: Adult drug court
Other tracks: Mental health, veterans

The program lasts a minimum of 24 months. This includes five in-court phases completed over a minimum of 12 months followed by at least 12 additional months of aftercare. Each participant’s needs and progress ultimately determine the length of participation. The program includes recovery support group meetings, case management, regular court appearances, random drug testing, reporting to probation, and the requirement to maintain consistent employment and/or schooling. Treatment uses manualized treatment and also offers Trauma Incident Therapy and Moral Reconation Therapy. These requirements are based on program assessments, case planning, treatment recommendations, and the individual needs and abilities of each participant.

In addition to the core team members, this program has a social worker assigned from the public defender’s office. The role of this position is to meet with potential clients and complete referrals, if appropriate; assist with tracking of incentives and sanctions to ensure fair treatment of similarly situated participants; and research and assist participants in applying to treatment programs when appropriate (e.g., long-term residential programs).

The Rehabilitative Alternative Probation (RAP) and Women’s Rehabilitative Alternative Probation (WRAP) are adult drug court programs serving the First District in Cook County, Illinois. By offering wraparound services instead of sentences, participants are given the opportunity to focus on their recovery, and as a result, reduce recidivism. The (W)RAP programs are post-adjudicatory programs targeting high-risk/high-need individuals charged with repeat felony nonviolent offenses. They have the capacity to serve up to 160 participants.

Established: 1998
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Court type: Urban
Primary track: Adult drug court

The (W)RAP team meets for staffing four days a week, followed by the (W)RAP court call. Men appear in court Monday through Wednesday, and women appear in court on Friday. Because of the frequency of staffing and court hearings, participants develop a strong rapport with the team and judge, which promotes honesty and commitment.

The team is composed of the judge, assistant state’s attorneys, an assistant public defender, probation officers, case managers, a law enforcement liaison, and a program coordinator. Through this multidisciplinary team, each participant’s needs are assessed from various fields of expertise. Over the course of this two-year program, participants may access support services such as recovery homes, medication for addiction treatment, and assistance finding a sponsor or 12-step meetings, employment, and/or subsidized housing.

There are four phases of the (W)RAP programs, each with goals and requirements that prepare the participant to transition to the next phase and complete the program. The participant’s probation officer may recommend phase movement, and the team must agree. All four phases must be completed to graduate.

The First Judicial District Felony Recovery Court comprises Carter, Washington, Unicoi, and Johnson Counties in Tennessee. It is a voluntary, treatment-based program for adults with nonviolent felony charges and a diagnosed substance use disorder. The program is an alternative sentencing approach to help respond to the persistent problems of prison and jail overcrowding by giving participants the opportunity to receive inclusive, gender-responsive, culturally responsive treatment and services. The program works to preserve resources, assist participants in their recovery and readjustment to the community, foster individual responsibility, and promote public safety by reducing recidivism and incarceration.

Established: 2017
Location: Elizabethton, Tennessee
Court type: Rural
Primary track: Adult drug court

The First Judicial District Felony Recovery Court serves adults at high risk for recidivism and who are in high need of treatment and other services. Individuals are clinically assessed for recidivism potential, substance use disorder, mental health disorders, environmental concerns, and familial relationships for acceptance into the program. Referrals can be made by the public defender, district attorney, probation departments, law enforcement, or judge, as well as by the individual or a family member.

After an application is submitted and a background check conducted to ensure the individual does not have disqualifying violent offenses, the assessment process begins. The coordinator conducts a full clinical assessment on the individual, which includes a substance use evaluation, criminal history screen, Modified Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and mental health referrals as needed. Summaries of the assessments, along with recommendations for treatment, are reported to the recovery court team. Recommendations may include placement in a detoxification facility, residential facility placement, a stay at a halfway house, or enrollment in supplementary counseling.

The New Leaf Program, located in Chardon, Ohio, is a voluntary program that serves both Geauga and surrounding counties’ residents. The program provides resources and support to the participants with the goals of assisting their becoming productive members of our community, reducing recidivism, and providing an alternative to incarceration. Our treatment team consists of the judge, program coordinator, probation officer, members of three local treatment agencies, law enforcement, and two additional social support agencies.

Established: 2019
Location: Chardon, Ohio
Court type: Rural
Primary track: Adult drug court

The Hillsborough County South Adult Drug Court provides intensive treatment and community-based supervision to justice-involved individuals with severe substance use disorder at high risk to engage in repeat criminal activity. The goal of the program is to reduce criminal recidivism and promote long-term recovery through effective substance use treatment and interventions to address other risk factors. The post-adjudication program serves individuals with felony charges who are required to successfully complete the program as a condition of their probation.

Established: 2014
Location: Nashua, New Hampshire
Court type: Rural/suburban
Primary track: Adult drug court

objective—such as program engagement, clinical stabilization, prosocial habilitation, etc.—each participant has an individualized case plan outlining the specific steps they need to take and the treatment and services indicated to support these steps.

The program is designed to last a minimum of 15 months, but participant needs and progress determine the actual length of participation in the program. Treatment effectiveness is monitored through frequent, random, observed drug testing. The court monitors participant progress through regularly scheduled court hearings and applies incentives and sanctions to modify behavior.

Using evidence-based treatment and curricula, program services include intensive outpatient treatment for substance use disorder, outpatient treatment, case management, and peer recovery coaching through a partnership with the local community mental health center and a local peer-based recovery organization. Participants with co-occurring disorders can access mental health services, including psychiatric treatment, functional support services, and crisis intervention as needed through programs at the community mental health center.

For participants in clinical need of detox, residential treatment, partial hospitalization, or medication for addiction treatment, referrals to outside providers are made with treatment court case managers and therapists collaborating on treatment and discharge planning.

Case management and peer recovery coaching focus on program engagement by addressing barriers to treatment and help motivate and connect participants to outside services designed to support long-term recovery, such as educational and vocational services, parenting support, community-based recovery/peer support groups, and prosocial recreational activities.

The Lancaster County Adult Drug Court (LCADC) is administered through the Lancaster County Department of Community Corrections. LCADC is a post-plea program that strives to promptly screen applicants using validated risk/need assessment tools and a structured screening process to determine eligibility.

Established: 2001
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
Court type: Rural/suburban
Primary track: Adult drug court
Other tracks: Veterans, mental health, multi-track

LCADC is a five-phase program that last a minimum of 18 months. Each phase is structured to focus on the participants’ proximal and distal goals and is individualized based on criminogenic needs. LCADC delivers support and rehabilitation through individualized behavioral health treatment. LCADC also provides other services such as cognitive behavioral therapy, family support, education/employment services, housing, and transportation, and makes referrals to outside community resources. LCADC partners with multiple community agencies, programs, and services for the purpose of building community relationships that enhance the program’s effectiveness and support each participant’s long-term success.

The Matrix Model Intensive Outpatient Treatment intervention is administered by Lancaster County Department of Community Corrections clinical professionals and is available to all program participants if the independent substance use evaluation indicates this is the appropriate level of care. If a higher level of care is recommended, a referral is made to one of three inpatient treatment partners. The clinical professionals on staff are dually licensed and provide immediate assistance with need including substance use, mental health, trauma, relationships, and behavioral health.

In addition to supervision and treatment programming, LCADC provides two important additional support services: 1) a mental health specialist who assists participants with employment, housing, transportation, medication management, and accessing any state or federal assistance they may be eligible for, and 2) a peer support recovery specialist who is a graduate of the LCADC and whose life experiences in recovery provide encouragement and support in ways supervision and clinical professionals cannot.

The McHenry County Treatment Court is designed to serve criminal defendants suffering from a substance use or mental health disorder and are currently involved in the justice system of McHenry County. In lieu of traditional punishment, the program diverts defendants with diagnosed mental health and/or substance use disorders away from the justice system by offering an alternative court program.

Established: 2008
Location: Woodstock, Illinois
Court type: Suburban
Primary track: Adult drug court
Other tracks: Mental health, veterans, DWI

The program’s target population is high-risk/high need individuals with an active nonviolent felony offense and a primary diagnosis of substance use disorder. Individuals who are pregnant or addicted to heroin are labeled as priority. With priority status, the individual is placed at the top of the referral list.

The program uses the Illinois Adult Risk Assessment (ARA) System to evaluate program applicants, which measures static and dynamic risk factors and identifies the criminogenic needs of each participant. The ARA is an objective, quantifiable instrument that provides a consistent and valid method of predicting current risk to reoffend. It is also a reliable means of measuring behavior change over time, patterns of behavior, lifestyle, and personality features. Using an interview guide, the ARA provides opportunity for a semistructured interview to gain information for the applicant, supplemented with official records and/or collateral sources to provide a final risk level that reflects an applicant’s potential risk to reoffend.

Additional screening and assessment tools include ORAS, RANT, and GAIN (short and long screen).

In addition, participants are given a biopsychosocial assessment, an important document that sets up the rationale for all the work to follow in the clinical setting. The biopsychosocial assessment looks at demographic data sets; current symptom checklist (e.g., cognitive functions, dangerous behaviors, immediate threat to personal safety, indicators of personality disorder); developmental, emotional, psychiatric, socioeconomic, family, medical, and substance use history; strengths; and barriers to recovery.

The McHenry County Treatment Court is a 12-to-24-month, five-phase program aimed at intervening in drug/alcohol dependence and criminal behavior through intense supervision and participation in treatment and recovery services. Initially, participants are required to appear biweekly at court sessions. As a participant successfully completes the phases, court attendance, reporting, and treatment requirements are adjusted to reflect the participant’s progress. When a participant successfully fulfills the terms of the program and completes program phases, they can complete an application for commencement. Legal agreements made pending completion of the program are then reviewed.

To address criminal thinking, the program uses Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT). MRT is a cognitive behavioral counseling program that combines education, group and individual counseling, and structured exercises designed to foster moral development in treatment-resistant clients.

Additional treatment modalities include the Matrix Model, Seeking Safety, and anger management. The program also has access to other treatment services, mental health services, and a psychologist for additional services. The program uses individualized treatment plans, gender-specific groups, resources for specialized needs, and collaborative case management across probation, law enforcement, and treatment.

The Stone County Treatment Court team is under the direction of Judge Alan Blankenship. Members of the team include the judge, prosecuting attorney, probation and parole officers, representatives from the Department of Social Services, the Stone County circuit clerk, sheriff’s deputies, trackers, treatment providers, and the treatment court administrator.

The adult drug court program contains a pre-plea track (deferred prosecution), post-plea track (deferred prosecution), post-plea track (suspended imposition/execution of sentence or probation violation), and a reentry track.

Established: 2004
Location: Galena, Missouri
Court type: Rural
Primary track: Adult drug court

The Tulalip Healing to Wellness Court is supported by a team of professionals from legal, law enforcement, and treatment agencies.

Established: 2017
Location: Tulalip, Washington
Court type: Suburban
Primary track: Tribal healing to wellness court

The Tulalip Healing to Wellness Court is a five-stage program lasting 15 to 24 months. The average completion time is 19 months.

Tulalip Behavioral Health provides services to the wellness court that include both mental health and substance use treatment. An integrated approach using concurrent providers from both modalities provides participants with increased contact and care.

The program also facilitates an alumni peer mentor network. Mentors are available to assist and guide wellness court graduates after they no longer have the structured environment of the court. It is centered around sober leisure activities and designed to build camaraderie. The alumni peer mentor group meets monthly, is facilitated by the case manager, and chaired by an alumnus. Participants in the third and fourth stages of the program are required to attend the group.