Specialty Courts

Specialty courts in Texas are established by county governments to handle a particular type of crime or certain civil law cases. These courts seek to divert offenders from prisons and jails and refer them instead to social services that may rehabilitate them.

The oldest kind of specialty court in Texas, and the most common, is a drug court. The judges of these courts supervise treatment plans for offenders and monitor their compliance.

Other specializations include veterans courts, family courts, juvenile courts, mental health courts, and DWI courts for persons arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Several counties have established courts for commercially sexually exploited persons, which handle cases that might otherwise be prosecuted for prostitution.

Specialty courts may rely on a deferred adjudication program, which allows a defendant to accept responsibility for a crime without an actual conviction being placed on the record.

Other courts work with offenders after conviction, so that they can avoid repeat offenses.

Specialty courts operate under guidelines approved jointly by an advisory council within the Criminal Justice Division at the Office of the Governor and the Texas Judicial Council. The courts are funded in part through grants made by the Criminal Justice Division, and in part by local and federal resources.

List of Specialty Courts in Texas

The following list of specialty courts is current as of February 2023. As of that date, there were 247 specialty courts operating in the state.