Drug and Other Specialty Courts

This article presents an overview of drug and other specialty courts. Section I defines specialty courts and traces their growth in number and types. It also explores the factors that sparked the specialty court movement. Section II examines drug courts, the most popular and prominent type of specialty court. It outlines key features of the drug court model, reviews the evidence of their effectiveness in reducing criminal behavior, and identifies neglected issues. Section III considers other manifestations of specialty courts and the emerging research evaluating the effectiveness of these courts. Section IV probes the policy implications of specialty court research and what this body of research suggests about the long-term viability of the specialty court movement.