Essential Resources for Drug Treatment Courts: A Comprehensive Guide

I am often asked to provide basic drug treatment court information. I think the following 15 resources are the backbone of any drug treatment court initiative. I would advise each team member to read and be prepared to discuss the materials in order to make good choices on issues such as entrance criteria, phase advancement, incentives and sanctions and other essential elements that must be decided upon. This list could also be used for brown bag lunchtime training programs for the team.

Drug Treatment Court Resources – The Essentials

1. Treatment Improvement Protocol 44: Substance Abuse Treatment for Adults in the Criminal Justice System (SAMHSA)
   
2. Best Practices in Drug Courts (Drug Court Review) 
3. Critical Issues for Defense Attorneys in Drug Court (NDCI)
   
4. Quality Improvement for Drug Courts: Evidence Based Practices (NDCI)
   
5. Behavior Modification 101 for Drug Courts: Making the Most of Incentives and Sanctions (NDCI)
   
6. Targeting the Right Participants for Adult Drug Courts (NDCI)
   
7. Adult Drug Court Standards, Vol. I   (NDCI)
   
8. Adult Drug Court Standards, Vol. II (NDCI)
   
9. The Ten Key Components (NDCI)
   
10. The Drug Court Judicial Benchbook (NDCI)
11. Drug Addiction Treatment in the Criminal Justice System (NIDA)
12. Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations (NIDA)
13. The National Drug Court Research Center 
14. Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Guidelines (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, OJJDP)
15. Practical Tips for Juvenile Drug Treatment Court to Implement (National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, NCJFCJ)

It’s Only the Beginning

These documents give a new practitioner a great start. But that is only the beginning. Key Component #9 states: Continuing interdisciplinary education promotes effective drug court planning, implementation, and operations. Online training is available from a variety of sources and the Center for Court Innovation’s site is a good one.   The National Drug Court Online Learning System can be accessed at: http://www.drugcourtonline.org/ Education should be ongoing and regular educational sessions will help ward off problems later.

What do you think should be included in this list? Let me know in the comments below.