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The Pros And Cons Of Drug Treatment Courts

751 Words4 Pages

Drug Courts or Drug Treatment Courts have grown in popularity in addressing higher vol-umes of drug-related offenses which have burdened to criminal justice courts and correction facilities. The high volume of cases within the courts was caused by policy changes in response to the “war on crime” which associated high rates of violent crime to drug use (Brown, 1997). These policies were aggressive punitive sanctions for drug users, which had disproportionate impacts on minority communities and contributed to prison overcrowding (Ibid.). In addition, these harsh sentencing guidelines were found to be ineffective in reducing drug crime rates in most jurisdictions (Ibid.).
Therefore, more people were being sentenced for longer periods than ever before, the courts and prison system were not adequately equipped to process them. These small specialty courts addressed drug crimes and their associated social conditions with alternatives to incarceration. Offered services typically consist of therapy, medical and drug treatment as well as social support programs. Program requirements varied and occasionally involved the implementation of graduated sanctions which ranged between programs, but overall drug treatment courts have been deemed a promising alternative to conventional sanctions …show more content…

The diversion reduces future criminal behavior of drug use which would avoid future charges and increase over-all rates of recidivism. These courts programs typically target nonviolent drug abusers, offering the expunging of criminal charge with successful program completion (Brown, 1997). These tailored courts and programs have been evaluated and have demonstrated overall effectiveness of drug treatment courts reducing recidivism and addressing social contributors to criminal behavior (Gott-fredson et al,

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