Juvenile drug courts consist of two primary components: (1) the organization and procedures used by the court and (2) the integration of community-based substance abuse treatment for the youths. Choosing treatment strategies for youths who abuse substances can be informed by the extensive knowledge based on the determinants and correlates of adolescent substance use. This article describes the importance of evidence-based substance abuse treatments into juvenile drug courts. In 1999, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) published and disseminated 13 principles of effective treatments to enable organizations, institutions, and programs, such as drug courts. NIDA’s principles and reviews of the correlates of adolescent substance abuse argue for treatment to be individualized and comprehensive so as to address its multiple determinants. An evidence-based model of treatment presented is the Multisystemic therapy (MST). MST meets NIDA guidelines and has been integrated into several juvenile drug courts. Future evaluative studies are recommended to determine the types of treatment services that best facilitate the capacity of juvenile drug courts to achieve the reduction of juvenile substance abuse and its associated personal and societal costs. Tables and references