Data Digest: Issue 2 – Treatment Court Counts

ISSUE 2

Treatment Court Counts

This issue of the National Drug Court Resource Center’s (NDCRC) Data Digest explores trends in the number of operational treatment court programs across the United States between 2014-2021. Data for 2014 and 2019 were gathered from the Painting the Current Picture: A National Report on Treatment Courts in the United States survey projects. Most recently, 2021 data were obtained from the annual treatment court count conducted by the NDCRC. Comparisons are made between the number of operational programs at the end of calendar years 2014, 2019, and 2021. It should be noted that comparisons between 2019 and 2021 are particularly interesting as the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. Thus, we can examine the impact of this public health crisis on the number of operational treatment court programs by examining court counts from 2019 and 2021.

Overall, treatment courts across the United States have increased since 2014. The total number of treatment courts serving adults and juveniles in 2014 was 3,448, This number increased by 12% in 2019 (n=3,856). There was an additional 4% increase in the total number of treatment courts in 2021 with 4,008 in operation. Therefore, between 2014-2021, the number of operational treatment courts increased by 16%.

Figure 1: Total Number of Programs by Year (2014–2021)

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Adult Programs Treatment court programs serving adults have grown in number over the last several years. In 2014, a total of 2,991 adult programs were in operation in jurisdictions across the United States. This number increased to 3,500 by 2019 and even further to 3,653 by the end of 2021. Overall, programs serving adult populations increased by 4% between 2019-2021 and 22% between 2014-2021. This information is displayed in Figure 2. The following sections provide an overview of each adult treatment court type.

Figure 2: Total Number of Adult Programs by Year (2014–2021)

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Adult Drug Court (ADC) At the end of 2014, there were a total of 1,540 operational ADCs across the United States. The number of ADCs grew to 1,697 by the end of 2019, and at year-end 2021, 1,834 ADCs had been implemented in jurisdictions across the country. This equates to an 8% increase in ADCs between 2019 and 2021. Overall, between 2014 and 2021, the number of ADCs increased by 19%. The growth in number of ADCs between 2014 and 2021 is displayed in Figure 3.

Some ADCs are classified as “hybrid drug/DUI” programs in that they enroll individuals that satisfy the requirements for ADC and DUI/DWI in one program. Between 2014-2019, the number of “hybrid drug/DUI” programs decreased from 407 to 351. Even fewer programs were in operation at the end of 2021 (n=302).

These data suggest that while the general number of ADCs has increased since 2014, ADCs specifically classified as “hybrid drug/DUI” have been on the decline. Overall, there was a 26% reduction in these programs between 2014-2021. These data should be considered in tandem with the figures below regarding stand-alone DUI/DWI courts where there has been an observed increase in operational programs. It may be that programs previously classified as “hybrid drug/DUI” split into two stand-alone programs. In addition, some programs may in fact serve both of these target populations but not classify themselves as “hybrid drug/DUI” and therefore are not included in these figures.

Figure 3: Number of Adult Drug Court Programs by Year (2014–2021)

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DUI/DWI Court As shown in Figure 4, a total of 262 DUI/DWI courts were in operation across the United States at the end of 2014. While this number decreased slightly (n=257) at the end of 2019, the number of DUI/DWI programs increased by 12% between 2019-2021 (n=289). Overall, the number of DUI/DWI courts increased by 10% between 2014-2021.

Figure 4: Number of DUI/DWI Court Programs by Year (2014–2021)

Co-Occurring Disorder (COD) Court At the end of 2014, a total of 62 COD courts were in operation in the United States. The number of COD courts decreased (n=21) by the end of 2019, but increased by 33% between 2019-2021 (n=28). Despite an increase in COD courts in recent years, the overall number of COD courts decreased by 55% between 2014 and 2021. The decrease in number of COD courts between 2014 and 2021 is displayed in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Number of Co-Occurring Disorder Programs by Year (2014–2021)

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Family Treatment Court (FTC) As shown in Figure 6, there were a total of 305 operational FTCs in the United States at the end of 2014. The number of FTCs grew to 335 by the end of 2019, and to an all-time high of 345 FTCs at the end of 2021. This equates to a 3% increase in FTCs between 2019 and 2021. Overall, FTCs increased by 13% between 2014 and 2021.

Figure 6: Number of Family Treatment Court Programs by Year (2014–2021)

Mental Health Court (MHC) According to court count data, 392 MHCs were operating in 2014 and by 2019, the number of MHCs had increased to 490. This trend continued through 2021, when a total of 554 MHCs were in operation. These data reveal there was a 13% increase in MHCs between 2019-2021 and a 41% increase between 2014-2021.

The overall increase in number of MHCs between 2014 and 2021 is displayed in Figure 7.

Figure 7: Number of Mental Health Court Programs by Year (2014–2021)

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Opioid Court While opioid courts were not reported during the 2014 annual court count, 24 programs were reported in 2019. Data for 2021 revealed a total of 33 opioid courts in operation. Thus, there was a 38% increase in these programs between 2019-2021. The increase in number of opioid courts between 2019 and 2021 is displayed in Figure 8.

Figure 8: Number of Opioid Court Programs by Year (2014–2021)

Re-entry Drug Court Between 2014-2021, the number of operational adult re-entry drug courts across the United States has ebbed and flowed. At the end of 2014, 26 adult re-entry drug courts had been implemented and this number increased to 87 by the end of 2019. However, the number of operational re-entry drug courts was reduced to 59 at the end of 2021. Most recently, there was a 32% decrease in adult re-entry courts between 20192021. Overall, between 2014-2021, adult re-entry courts increased by 127%. This information is displayed in Figure 9.

Figure 9: Number of Re-entry Drug Court Programs by Year (2014–2021)

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Tribal Healing to Wellness Court (THWC) Court count data indicated that 138 THWCs were in operation across the United States in 2014. The most recent program count was conducted in 2020 and revealed that 109 THWCs were in operation. Thus, between 2014 and 2020, the number of THWCs decreased by 21%. The decrease in number of THWCs between 2014 and 2019 is displayed in Figure 10.

Figure 10: Number of Tribal Healing to Wellness Court Programs by Year (2014–2020)

Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) At the end of 2014, 266 VTCs were in operation across the U.S. By the end of 2019, a total of 480 VTC programs were in operation. The number of VTCs continued to grow between 2019-2021 with 511 programs operating at the end of 2021. Overall, VTCs increased by 6% between 2019-2021 and by 92% between 20142021. The increase in number of VTCs between 2014 and 2021 is displayed in Figure 11.

Figure 11: Number of Veterans Treatment Court Programs by Year (2014–2021)

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Juvenile Programs In contrast to adult programs, treatment court programs serving juvenile populations have decreased in number over the last several years. In 2014, there were a total of 457 juvenile programs in operation. The number of programs serving juveniles decreased to 356 in 2019, and by the end of 2021, the total number of juvenile programs remained constant at 355. The stability in the number of operational juvenile programs between 2019 and 2021 is noteworthy, given that this period corresponded with the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, programs serving juvenile populations decreased by 22% between 2014 and 2021. This information is displayed in Figure 12. The following sections provide an overview of each juvenile treatment court type.

Figure 12: Total Number of Juvenile Programs by Year (2014–2021)

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Juvenile Drug Court (JDC) As shown in Figure 13, a total of 420 JDCs were operating across the United States in 2014. This number decreased to 305 by 2019 and again to 296 by the end of 2021. These data indicate a 3% decrease in JDCs between 2019 and 2021. Overall, between 2014 and 2021, the number of JDCs in the United States decreased by 30%.

Figure 13: Number of Juvenile Drug Court Programs by Year (2014–2021)

Juvenile Co-Occurring Disorders (JCOD) Court JCOD courts were not included in the 2014 data collection. In 2019, it was reported that there were 5 operating JCOD programs. This number increased by 40% in 2021 with the implementation of two additional JCOD courts (n=7). This information is displayed in Figure 14.

Figure 14: Number of Juvenile Co-Occurring Disorders Court Programs by Year (2019–2021)

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Juvenile Mental Health Court (JMHC) At the end of 2014, 37 JMHCs were operational within the United States. This number increased to 46 by the end of 2019 and to 50 by year-end 2021. These data indicate an 9% growth in JMHCs between 2019 and 2021. Overall, between 2014-2021, the number of JMHCs increased by 35%. The growth in number of JMHCs between 2014 and 2021 is displayed in Figure 15.

Figure 15: Number of Juvenile Mental Health Court Programs by Year (2014–2021)

Juvenile Re-entry Drug Court Two juvenile re-entry drug courts were reported to be in operation at the end of 2021. This court type was not reported in 2014 or 2019.

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What is the Data Digest?

The National Drug Court Resource Center produces a periodical Data Digest, which presents visual representations of treatment court data, data from funding agencies, and other important data sources. The purpose of the Data Digest is to contextualize data to paint a more complete picture of the research and resources in the field. One of the NDCRC’s goals is to provide multiple accessible sources of data and research for a wide range of audiences.

Each issue will focus on one specific topic of interest to treatment court practitioners. If you have suggestions for future topics, please email ndcrc@uncw.edu.

About Us The National Drug Court Resource Center’s (NDCRC) mission is to equip treatment court practitioners with an array of resources relevant to the field. Since October 2019, the NDCRC has been housed at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in Wilmington, North Carolina.

This publication was supported by Grant No. 2019-DC-BX-K002 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of views or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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