The Drug Court is now referred to as the Treatment Intervention Court - please see Duty Solicitor Handbook section on Treatment Intervention Court for detailed information on processes and procedures within this court.

Drug courts originate from the United States, where they developed in the 1980s as a grassroots response to escalating court lists and imprisonment rates. They have since emerged in many countries. Evaluations indicate that drug courts can successfully address drug dependence and reduce recidivism (and in doing so enhance community safety) and are more cost effective than imprisonment.

The Drug Court is now referred to the Treatment Intervention Court - see Treatment Intervention Court for more information.

The Treatment Intervention Court sits in the Adelaide Magistrates Court and accepts applicants with summary and minor indictable offences which are related to illicit drug dependence. The Treatment Intervention Court is a non adversarial court with direct interaction between the presiding judicial officer and each participant when they appear in court.

The Treatment Intervention Court offers defendants an opportunity to address their illicit drug dependence and related criminal behaviour by engaging in an intensive drug rehabilitation program with ongoing judicial supervision and frequent court appearances (called reviews), stringent bail conditions (including home detention), random mandatory urine testing, and attendance at group therapy and individual counselling.