FJD's Drug Treatment Court Selected as Model for Others

By Amaris Elliott-Engel
Of the Legal Staff　

The state's first drug treatment court, Philadelphia Municipal Court's Treatment Court, has been selected by a national body as a model for other courts striving to treat defendants' substance abuse problems, according to a First Judicial District press release.

The Municipal Court's Treatment Court was selected as one of 10 "national mentor courts" by the National Drug Court Institute in conjunction with the Bureau of Justice. In the project, Philadelphia's treatment court and the other nine courts will serve as training sites for other jurisdictions seeking to implement substance abuse treatment practices.

The mentor courts will be test sites for the best practices for treatment of defendants with substance-abuse problems. NDCI hopes that through the mentor court program the implementation of new research projects in the field of drug courts can be reduced by months or even years.

NDCI provides research-focused training and technical assistance to court officials who run problem-solving courts, according to its Web site.