As opioid intervention courts are launched throughout the country, it is becoming increasingly important to define the model and identify the core principles of these courts. This publication is intended to help urban, suburban, rural, and tribal jurisdictions develop programs that incorporate the practices most likely to prevent overdoses and save lives.

These essential elements are only a first step. Although most of the practices described in this document are based on decades of research in drug courts and other settings, targeted research on opioid intervention courts is only beginning. It is hoped that a robust research base will be developed in the coming years and will ultimately lead to a formal set of research-based best practice standards.