North Carolina Recovery Courts are designed to assist chemically dependent offenders with their court ordered treatment plans. Recovery Courts handle chemically dependent individuals in adult criminal court, juvenile, and abuse, neglect and dependency cases.

Participants are primarily those individuals who have been diagnosed with severe substance use disorders and who have been convicted of felony offenses. 

As part of their probationary sentences, participants must be actively engaged in a course of substance use treatment recommended by their providers and approved by the Recovery Court board. Further, they are required to attend all Recovery Court sessions as scheduled and report their progress to the Court. These sessions occur between one and two times monthly. Each participant is also expected to comply with terms and conditions of supervised probation including, but not limited to; drug testing no less than twice per week, submitting to warrantless searches, abiding by a curfew, and securing gainful employment and stable substance-free housing.