The Therapeutic Justice project, which refers people with psychoactive substance dependence who committed crimes for treatment, has gained prominence in Brazil. This study aimed to evaluate the stages of motivation in people referred by the justice system for the treatment of psychotropic substance dependence. The sample consisted of 120 people who were being treated in CAPS-AD and Therapeutic Communities in the city of Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil. The individuals were divided into two groups, one formed by people referred by the justice system (Justice System Group) and another made up of people who were being treated for any other reason (Others Group), to compare the motivation to change behavior between the groups. The URICA Scale for Illicit Substances, the Readiness Ruler and Readiness for Change were used to evaluate the motivation variables of the groups. The results showed that there were no statistically signifi cant differences in motivation between the people referred by the justice system and the people with other more usual forms of indication for treatment. The importance of assessing the motivation during all stages of treatment is emphasized, aiming for better adherence and therapeutic success of people with problems with the law and the use of substances.