Drug Treatment Courts: Substance Abuse Intervention within the Justice System

This is a policy paper provides an overview of drug courts, focusing primarily on the US models, which are well established compared to those in Canada and other countries around the world. Canadian court diversion programs are also discussed with brief descriptions of the Toronto DTC. The paper concludes by outlining a number of policy and program issues that are of interest and importance when examining drug courts as an options for substance abuse intervention within the justice system. Bibliography and references included.