Drug Courts: History, Effectiveness, and ...

Drug Courts in the United States

Thank You

Factors that contribute to program completion

• age
• ethnicity
• education
• drug of choice

Program Concerns

• programs with more drug tests
• more sessions with case managers
• more status hearing appointments
• higher levels of praise
• drug treatment services

Reference: Evans and Kalich, 2006

Reference: Rossman and Zweig, 2012

• ability of judge to be impartial and maintain judicial independence
• ethical concerns over close interaction between participant and judge
• violent offenders are not accepted
• program requirements vary from county to county
• funding

Why Drug Courts?

"There are currently more than 2.2 million incarcerated individuals in the United States"

"One in every thirty-one adults in the United States is either in jail, on probation, or on parole"

Reference: The Journal of the Legal Profession, 2012

Reference: Franco, 2011

• 30% of probationers are current illicit drug users
• 27% of parolees are current illicit drug users
• studies indicate that 66.7% of drug offenders were re-arrested within 3 years

Reference: The Journal of the Legal Profession, 2012

• drug charges account for 51% of federal prisoners
• financial cost of incarceration is astronomical
• In 2014, $51 billion was spent on corrections

Reference: Gray et.al, 2015

Funding

What are Problem-Solving Courts?

• Federal Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program
• State Grants
• Private Contributions

"Problem-solving courts, including mental health courts, drug courts, and domestic violence courts, represent a fundamental shift in the way the criminal justice system handles specific group of offenders"

Reference: Franco, 2011

Drug Courts in the United States

Alexandra Mendez

December 7, 2015

Reference: (Hughes and Peak, 2012)

Drug Courts

Program Requirements

• composed of teams of trained judges, attorneys, probation officers, and clinical specialists
• specialty team provides treatment services and intensive monitoring of defendants who are in the criminal justice system as a result of substance abuse, mental health, or co-occurring disorders
• 3 Goals : achieve and maintain recovery, contributing members of their communities, dramatically decrease risk of recidivism

Effectiveness

• Established in Dade County, Miami, FL
• 1989
• Eligible participants receive treatment services
• Successful completion may lead to suspension or dismissal of criminal case
• Typically last 12-18 months
• Random weekly drug and alcohol testing
• Fees
• Defined by the 10 key components established by the United States Department of Justice

• requirements vary by county
• misdemeanor/felony offender
• non-violent
• drug/alcohol addicts
• drug related offense

• savings on the dollar
• $3.36 saved for every $1 spent
• savings of $3,000-$13,000 per client

Reference: www.ilapsc.org

10 Key Components for Drug Courts

Reference: nadcp.org

The Role of the Judge

• Drug Courts integrate alcohol and other drug treatment services with justice system case processing
• Using a non-adversarial approach, prosecution and defense counsel promote public safety while protecting participants' due process rights
• Eligile participants are identified earl and promptly placed in the drug court program
• Drug courts provide access to a continuum of alcohol, drug, and other related treatment and rehabilitation services
• Abstinence is monitored by frequent alcohol and other drug testing
• A coordinated strategy governs drug court responses to participants' compliance
• Ongoing judicial interaction with each drug court participant is essential
• Montoring and evaluation measure the achievement of program goals and gauge effectiveness
• Continuing interdisciplinary education promotes effective drg court planning, implementation, and operations
• Forging partnerships among drug courts, public agencies, and other community-based organizations generates local support and enhances drug court program effectiveness

"The ability of the judge to sincerely engage with participants and demonstrate respect, empathy, and neutrality is critical to the success of drug courts"

Reference: The Journal of the Legal Profession, 2012

References

• 75% of DC graduates do not get rearrested for at least two years
• 85% of offenders relapse after being released from prison

• actively involved
• educator
• hold participants accountable
• impose immediate sanctions or rewards
• studies highlight the importance of judge-offender relationships
• responsible for planning meetings
• makes final decisions
• main communicator
• policymaker

Reference: DeMatteo et. al., 2011

Reference: The Journal of the Legal Profession, 2012

Reference: Youtube.com, All Rise, 2011