(1) The legislature finds that judges in the trial courts throughout the state effectively utilize what are known as therapeutic courts to remove a defendant's or respondent's case from the criminal and civil court traditional trial track and allow those defendants or respondents the opportunity to obtain treatment services to address particular issues that may have contributed to the conduct that led to their arrest or other issues before the court. Trial courts have proved adept at creative approaches in fashioning a wide variety of therapeutic courts addressing the spectrum of social issues that can contribute to criminal activity and engagement with the child welfare system.

(2) The legislature further finds that by focusing on the specific individual's needs, providing treatment for the issues presented, and ensuring rapid and appropriate accountability for program violations, therapeutic courts may decrease recidivism, improve the safety of the community, and improve the life of the program participant and the lives of the participant's family members by decreasing the severity and frequency of the specific behavior addressed by the therapeutic court.

(3) The legislature recognizes the inherent authority of the judiciary under Article IV, section 1 of the state Constitution to establish therapeutic courts, and the outstanding contribution to the state and local communities made by the establishment of therapeutic courts and desires to provide a general provision in statute acknowledging and encouraging the judiciary to provide for therapeutic court programs to address the particular needs within a given judicial jurisdiction.

(4) Therapeutic court programs may include, but are not limited to:

(a) Adult drug court;

(b) Juvenile drug court;

(c) Family dependency treatment court or family drug court;

(d) Mental health court, which may include participants with developmental disabilities;

(e) DUI court;

(f) Veterans treatment court;

(g) Truancy court;

(h) Domestic violence court;

(i) Gambling court;

(j) Community court;

(k) Homeless court;

(l) Treatment, responsibility, and accountability on campus (Back on TRAC) court.

[2015 c 291 § 1.]

NOTES: