Treatment courts are an important part of our justice system, helping individuals with significant substance use and mental health issues achieve stability and find recovery. These courts help restore family relationships, promote essential life skills, and encourage people to become productive members of their communities.  

Treatment courts require participants to regularly attend counseling sessions and appear before their judge, undergo randomized drug testing, and complete educational assignments and activities. When participants do not follow the requirements, possible sanctions include community service, additional assignments, or jail time.  

Once a participant has completed all of the program requirements, they are eligible for graduation – a milestone that honors their commitment, perseverance, and progress in recovery.  

Idaho has 70 Treatment Courts in 38 counties:

31 Felony Drug Courts
2 Juvenile Mental Health Courts
4 Juvenile Drug Courts
12 Mental Health Courts
3 Misdemeanor Drug / DUI Courts

7 DUI Courts
1 Young Adult Drug Court
1 Domestic Violence Drug Court
2 Child Protection Drug Courts
7 Veterans Treatment Courts

The most recent court was created in early FY2026. The Tri-County Mental Health Court covers Adams, Payette, and Washington counties. Mental health courts support people with severe and persistent mental health disorders, often in combination with substance use disorders. Recognizing the need for a local mental health treatment court that doesn’t require people to move to other parts of the state, court and community leaders came together, led by Judge Kiley Stuchlik, to establish this new court.  

 “While participants of this rural court will face challenges, especially around housing and transportation, I believe that with collaboration, creativity, and lots of hard work, our team can help participants overcome those challenges and manage their mental illness, which will serve our mission of reducing recidivism among our participants,” Judge Stuchlik said. 

The 69 active treatment courts in FY2025 served a combined 2,698 people, with 636 participants graduating their respective programs. There were 87 drug-free babies born to participants, representing lifelong health benefits for the child.  

Behavioral Health Council Partnership

The Idaho Behavioral Health Council has begun an initiative focused on frequent issues that face treatment courts, including a gap analysis, housing, and treatment options. Teams of multi-disciplinary professionals will tackle these important issues over the next few years, with a goal of finding solutions and providing support to the programs.

Treatment Courts

Idaho Evaluations

More than a decade of research indicates that treatment courts reduce crime by lowering the chances that a person will reoffend – improving the outcomes of substance abuse treatment, reuniting families and producing measurable cost benefits. DUI court participants who were studied were 38% less likely to reoffend. Drug court participation decreased recidivism by at least 26%, and mental health court participants charged with felonies were 31% less likely to commit new offenses.

In FY2026, an external evaluator will conduct a statewide outcome evaluation for felony drug courts. This evaluation will assess these courts’ effect on recividism compared to putting higher-risk and higher-need people on probation. The evaluation will compare drug court participants to a matched group of offenders who may have been eligible, but did not participate, allowing the evaluators to determine if positive changes can be attributed to the program. 

This will be the first statewide outcome evaluation of felony drug courts since 2014. That evaluation found that the recidivism rate for felony drug court participants was 12% lower than that of felony probationers.