The Custom Justice of ‘Problem-Solving Courts’

Specialty courts—sometimes known as “problem-solving courts”—have enjoyed a rapid rise nationwide over the past 20 years, and now exist in every jurisdiction in the United States. There are more than two dozen of them in Massachusetts alone: In addition to the 19 drug courts and four mental health courts that already exist, there are two courts for veterans and one for homeless people, according to a spokesperson for the Trial Court. Other states have courts specially designed to handle sex workers, perpetrators of domestic violence, truant schoolchildren, and even gambling addicts.