State court office briefs Judiciary on problem‑solving courts, cites data expansion and funding needs

Jennifer Grama, chief of the Office of Problem Solving Courts at the Office of the State Courts Administrator (OSCA), told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Florida has 184 problem‑solving courts and that 48 of 67 counties operate at least one such program. "In short, problem solving courts combine intensive judicial supervision with evidence based treatment for individuals with a substance use and or mental health disorder to improve public safety, reduce recidivism, and restore lives and families," Grama said.

Why it matters: Problem‑solving courts—often called treatment courts—are credited with improving outcomes for participants, reducing recidivism and lowering some downstream costs when programs operate with fidelity to best practices.

Program types and spread: Grama described adult drug courts as the most common program and said other specialized dockets include mental‑health courts, veterans courts, juvenile drug courts, dependency/early‑childhood courts and DUI courts. She said Florida uses two OSCA‑funded case‑management systems for problem‑solving courts: a Florida Drug Court Case Management System used by 117 courts and about 800 users, and a Florida Dependency Court Information System module used by about 30 early‑childhood courts.

Data and accountability: Grama told senators that July of the prior year saw implementation of state data‑reporting requirements for state‑funded problem‑solving courts, including more than 100 participant‑level data elements. The office is in an implementation phase and is beginning to analyze the data and provide feedback to courts. She also noted that best‑practice standards endorsed by the Florida Supreme Court apply and that programs rely on multiple funding sources, including state appropriations, local governments, grants and participant fees.

Local perspective and outcomes: Leon County Judge Nina Ashinoffe Richardson, who presides over an adult drug court, described treatment courts as "boots on the ground" programs that blend judicial supervision, testing, treatment and phased requirements. Richardson said she has presided for about eight years and called the programs accountable and transparent: managers track testing frequency, diagnoses, medications, treatment events and costs. She told senators that many graduates return to help others, that programs produce measurable outcomes and that she estimates program graduation success in her court to be "over 90%" for those completing the program.

Committee questions and next steps: Senators asked about the role of early‑childhood courts and Grama explained these dockets focus on parents of children ages 0–3 to intervene early and reduce out‑of‑home placements. Grama said the OSCA is finalizing its 2024 annual problem‑solving courts report and that the office offers training, certification and technical assistance to promote fidelity to evidence‑based practices.

Ending: Presenters asked the committee to continue legislative support for funding, training and data systems that underpin problem‑solving courts’ accountability and outcomes.