NADCP Releases Updated Best Practice Standards for Adult Drug Courts

Last week, the National Association of Drug Court Professionals released an update to their two volume Adult Drug Court Best Practice Standards.

Among other terminology changes within the new guidelines, NADCP updated terminology to include Substance Use Disorder Treatment, replacing “substance abuse,” “substance use,” and “substance dependence.” The updates reflect an overall shift in treatment and criminal justice, away from segmenting substance using clients into subcategories (user, dependent, abuser) that may unnecessarily restrict access to treatment and management protocols. These standards are designed to serve as a blueprint for courts to implement and help improve outcomes for individuals involved in the justice system due to substance use disorders and mental health conditions.

Visit here for a full review of the changes and the complete, two-volume Standards document. An Executive Summary of the best practice standards is also available.