Drug courts are an innovative response by local communities to deal with the escalation of criminal activity associated with drug abuse. The first drug court was created in Florida in 1989 and gave defendants the opportunity for self improvement and drug treatment with the possibility of the charges suspended and then sealed upon successful graduation from the drug court program. The Rochester court grew from meetings starting in 1993 that focused on an alternative approach to the problems associated with drug-related crime. The Rochester court has now been operating for 2.5 years. It focuses on immediate drug treatment instead of lengthy prosecutions. Defendants must undergo an intensive 2-year drug treatment program that includes educational and vocational training. To graduate, participants must remain off drugs for at least 1 year and be working or attending school. The drug court rests on the premise that immediate and intensive intervention after initial arrest creates a significant opportunity for supervision and treatment of drug-addicted defendants processed through the criminal justice system. The drug court accepts persons charged with both misdemeanors and felonies and excludes defendants charged with violent crimes or on probation or parole at the time of the commission of the offense. Operating a drug court requires attention to several legal issues, methods of handling noncompliance with the drug court agreement, defendant monitoring, and gender sensitivity. Seventy percent of the individuals who have entered the Rochester program have stayed with the program and completed the court's requirements. The Rochester outcomes confirm national findings that drug treatment can be a deterrent to crime. Communities looking for an effective solution to drug-related crime may find hope from the experience of Rochester and other jurisdictions. In addition, cost analyses indicate substantial savings in criminal justice, welfare, and health care costs for every dollar invested in drug courts. Defendants' statements and 20 references