Me. Rev. Stat. » Title 4
Maine Revised Statutes

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 4, § 421 (2026)

Establishment

✓ current as of May 2026
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1.  Programs.  The Judicial Department may establish substance use disorder treatment programs in the Superior Courts and District Courts and may adopt administrative orders and court rules to govern the practice, procedure and administration of these programs. Substance use disorder treatment programs must include local judges and must be community based and operated separately from juvenile drug courts.  
[PL 2017, c. 407, Pt. A, §2 (AMD).]
2.  Goals.  The goals of the substance use disorder treatment programs authorized by this chapter include the following:  
A. To reduce substance use and dependency among criminal offenders;   [PL 2017, c. 407, Pt. A, §2 (AMD).]
B. To reduce criminal recidivism;   [PL 1999, c. 780, §1 (NEW).]
C. To increase personal, familial and societal accountability of offenders;   [PL 1999, c. 780, §1 (NEW).]
D. To promote healthy and safe family relationships;   [PL 1999, c. 780, §1 (NEW).]
E. To promote effective interaction and use of resources among justice system personnel and community agencies;   [PL 2023, c. 522, §1 (AMD).]
F. To reduce the overcrowding of prisons; and   [PL 2023, c. 522, §2 (AMD).]
G. To ensure that substance use disorder treatment programs are available statewide and accessible to residents in rural areas of the State.   [PL 2023, c. 522, §3 (NEW).]
[PL 2023, c. 522, §§1-3 (AMD).]
3.  Collaboration.  The following shall collaborate with and, to the extent possible, provide financial assistance to the Judicial Department in establishing and maintaining substance use disorder treatment programs:  
A. District attorneys, the Department of the Attorney General and statewide organizations representing prosecutors;   [PL 1999, c. 780, §1 (NEW).]
B. Defense attorneys, including statewide organizations representing defense attorneys;   [PL 1999, c. 780, §1 (NEW).]
C. The Department of Corrections;   [PL 1999, c. 780, §1 (NEW).]
D. The Department of Health and Human Services;   [PL 1999, c. 780, §1 (NEW); PL 2001, c. 354, §3 (AMD); PL 2003, c. 689, Pt. B, §6 (REV).]
E. The Department of Public Safety;   [PL 1999, c. 780, §1 (NEW).]
F. The Department of Education;   [PL 1999, c. 780, §1 (NEW).]
G. The business community;   [PL 1999, c. 780, §1 (NEW).]
H. Local service agencies; and   [PL 1999, c. 780, §1 (NEW).]
I. Statewide organizations representing drug court professionals.   [PL 1999, c. 780, §1 (NEW).]
[PL 2017, c. 407, Pt. A, §2 (AMD).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1999, c. 780, §1 (NEW). PL 2001, c. 354, §3 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 689, §B6 (REV). PL 2017, c. 407, Pt. A, §2 (AMD). PL 2023, c. 522, §§1-3 (AMD).
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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 3 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 2002–2024 · leading case: State of Maine v. Tara L. Watson, 2024 ME 24 (Me. 2024).
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State of Maine v. Tara L. Watson, 2024 ME 24 (Me. 2024). “4 M.R.S. § 421(1), (2) (2023). The Judicial Branch reported in 2023 that “[d]uring the past twenty-one years of continuous operation, Maine’s Treatment Courts have continued to offer a successful, evidence-based approach to the challenge of substance use and crime in the State…”
State v. Jakubowski, 2003 ME 58 (Me. 2003). “See 4 M.R.S.A. § 421(1) (Supp.2002). We dismiss the appeal.”
United States v. Caldwell, 233 F. Supp. 2d 69 (D. Me. 2002). “4 M.R.S.A. § 421(1). The Judicial Department has created a detailed Policy & Procedure Manual that describes how the Court is to work.”
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 4, § 421(1): 3 cases
State of Maine v. Tara L. Watson, 2024 ME 24 (Me. 2024). “4 M.R.S. § 421(1), (2) (2023). The Judicial Branch reported in 2023 that “[d]uring the past twenty-one years of continuous operation, Maine’s Treatment Courts have continued to offer a successful, evidence-based approach to the challenge of substance use and crime in the State…”
State v. Jakubowski, 2003 ME 58 (Me. 2003). “See 4 M.R.S.A. § 421(1) (Supp.2002). We dismiss the appeal.”
United States v. Caldwell, 233 F. Supp. 2d 69 (D. Me. 2002). “4 M.R.S.A. § 421(1). The Judicial Department has created a detailed Policy & Procedure Manual that describes how the Court is to work.”
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