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The Treatment Court Movement

1989
1989

First Drug Court Opens in Miami, FL

At the height of the nation’s cocaine epidemic and the War on Drugs, pioneers in Miami-Dade, Florida came together to try something new: treat the addiction that was devastating so many lives.

Judge Stanley Goldstein presides over the Miami-Dade Drug Court

 

The first drug court in action.

1990
1990

Spending on Corrections Exceeds $26 Billion a Year

1990

US Prison Population Reaches Record High of 771,243

1991
1991

State prison costs for low-level drug offenses exceeds $1.2 billion/yr

1992
1992

First women’s drug court opens in Kalamazoo, MI

1994
1994

44 drug courts in operation

Judge Roosevelt Robinson presides over the Multnomah County Drug Court in Portland, Oregon.

1994

US Incarceration reaches 1 million

1994
NADCP Founded

NADCP Founded

Over two days in May, 1994, a group of intrepid drug court judges gathered together to create the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. NADCP would become the only national organization providing training, membership and advocacy on behalf of drug courts and other treatment courts.

1995
1995
NADCP holds first national training conference in Las Vegas, NV

NADCP holds first national training conference in Las Vegas, NV

1995

U.S. Department of Justice begins administering federal drug court grants

1995

First DWI court opens in Doña Ana, New Mexico

1995

First juvenile drug court opens in Visalia, California

1995

First family treatment court opens in Reno, Nevada

1997
1997

First tribal healing to wellness court opens in Fort Hall, Idaho

1997
NADCP Drug Court Standards Committee publishes Defining Drug Courts: The Key Components

NADCP Drug Court Standards Committee publishes Defining Drug Courts: The Key Components

Published with funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the key components provided a much needed blueprint for the burgeoning treatment court field and immediately became the most important treatment court publication in existence. Decades later, research would confirm just how essential the ten key components are to treatment court outcomes.

1997
NADCP launches the National Drug Court Institute with support from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)

NADCP launches the National Drug Court Institute with support from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)

Recognizing the need for ongoing training and technical assistance, NADCP created the National Drug Court Institute. With support from ONDCP, NDCI would become the premier provider of treatment court training and technical assistance in the United States.

1999
1999
472 treatment courts in operation

472 treatment courts in operation

2003
2003

The National Institute of Justice reports adult drug court recidivism rates are as low as 16.4% nationwide one year after graduation

2004
2004

The Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators issue a joint resolution supporting treatment courts.

The join resolution representing chief justices and state court administrators from every state helped institutionalize treatment courts and set the stage for the second decade of growth.

 

“Drug court and problem-solving court principles and methods have demonstrated great success in addressing certain complex social problems.”

2004

1,621 treatment courts in operation

2004

NADCP Holds 10th Annual Training Conference

2006
2006

National study finds that parents in family treatment courts were significantly more likely to be reunified with their children than comparison groups.

2007
2007
NADCP Launches the National Center for DWI Courts (NCDC)

NADCP Launches the National Center for DWI Courts (NCDC)

On May 2, 2007, NADCP launched the National Center for DWI Courts to help develop and grow the DWI Court field. With funding from Beam Global, NCDC was launched at the U.S. Capitol with an event featuring race car drivers Michael Andretti and Robby Gordon.

2008
2008

First veterans treatment court opens in buffalo, NY

2009
2009
2,459 treatment courts in the United States

2,459 treatment courts in the United States