The Pew Center report cites diversion programs for nonviolent offenders with drug addictions or mental illnesses, also known as specialty courts, therapeutic courts, or problem-solving courts, as among the promising alternatives to jail time for Treating the underlying causeThe concept of specialty courts took root in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with the first drug court in Dade County, Florida, where Janet Reno was the chief prosecutor. [read post]