Needs Assessment: Addiction is a complex phenomenon in today's society. Many researchers consider addiction to be a brain disease influenced by genetic and environmental factors (Lessenger & Roper, 2007). Sixteen percent of the U.S. population, ages twelve and older, are affected by addiction (Volow & Li, 2005). The government's method of addressing addiction has changed over the years in an effort to cure this disease, however, no method is entirely perfect (Lessenger & Roper, 2007). Addiction can affect any person regardless of age, gender, or economic status (Lessenger & Roper, 2007). The traditional method of addressing addiction has been to refer addicts to the criminal justice system (Lessenger & Roper, 2007). Lawmakers have resorted to mandatory minimum sentences to deal with drug addicts (Lessenger & Roper, 2007). Addiction was considered a crime and not a disease. Jails and prisons were unable to accommodate the large number of prisoners and were therefore forced to release them (Lessenger & Roper, 2007). In the 1990s the government began to realize that the number of drug addicts was not decreasing but rather increasing and so they began to resort to treatment rather than punishment. They began placing drug addicts in court-ordered treatment facilities (Lessenger & Roper, 2007). One of these court-ordered treatment facilities is the Lancaster Drug Court. According to the United States Census Bureau, the majority of people residing in Lancaster County in 2012 were white (91.3%), and approximately 10% of the population between 2007 and 2011 was below the poverty level ( 2013). In 2006, 77 participants were enrolled in the Lancaster Drug Court program. 63.6% with... half of document......leas,Adult Drug Court Program. Participant Handbook. Retrieved from http://www.co.lancaster.pa.us/courts/lib/courts/apps/drugcourt/drugcourtclienthandbook.pdf Lessenger, J. J, & Roper, G. F. (2010). Drug Courts: A New Approach to Treatment and Rehabilitation. New York. Springer Science and Business Media.Mahaffy, K. A. (2006). Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas Adult Drug Court: Outcome Evaluation. Millersville University. Retrieved from http://www.co.lancaster.pa.us/courts/lib/courts/LCCCP_Drug_court_outcome_eval0506.pdf US Census Bureau. (2013). Lancaster County, Pennsylvania: Quick Facts. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/42/42071.htmlVolkow, N, & Li, TK (2005). The neuroscience of addiction. Nature Neuroscience Journal, (8), 1429-1430. Wheeler, L. (1966). Toward a theory of behavioral contagion. Psychological review, 73(2), 179.