As soon as I entered the class, there was a man sitting in our class. His name was Paul Shapiro, and he was from the Orange County Courts. He explained to us what the community court is, and what kind of effect it has on our society. During mid-1980s, crack cocaine was widespread and people kept going back to prison. To cut this infinite loop of incarceration, Orange County made the drug court. It is not like a real court, but rather similar to a program that helps drug addicts free themselves from drug dependence. Unlike other courts, the prosecutor, the attorney, the probation officer, and the judge in the drug court work as a team.
After graduating the drug court program, the recidivism rate has fallen from 74% to 28.8%. When we went to the community court before going to the District Attorney’s office, people seemed to know each other and they were congratulating a lady. I didn’t know why they looked cheerful and happy in the court when apparently they might be convicted. Now, I’m guessing that the lady was probably graduating the community court program.
However, there are pros and cons about collaborative courts. People who are against collaborative court system insist that it costs great amount of money, and offering treatment to lawbreakers is not the job of the criminal justice system – they think the prosecutors need to send criminals to prison instead of trying to rehabilitate them. Yet, supporters of collaborative courts assert that even though it looks as if
“Just Say No!” A statement that takes us deep into yet another decade in the history of the United States which was excited by controversies, social issues, and drug abuse. The topic of this statement is fueled by the growing abuse of cocaine in the mid 1980s. I shall discuss the effects of the crack cocaine epidemic of the mid 1980s from a cultural and social stand point because on that decade this country moved to the rhythms and the pace of this uncanny drug. Cocaine took its told on American society by in the 1980s; it ravaged with every social group, race, class, etc. It reigned over the United States without any prejudices. Crack cocaine was the way into urban society, because of its affordability in contrast to the powdered
Since the origination of drug treatment courts, there has been countless numbers of offenders who have successfully completed the program and fought their way past drug abuse. There are also a handful of offenders who may have struggled to change their drug abuse or addiction, and fell short of completing the program. In this second part of my report, I will be determining whether drug treatment court programs actually work. To accomplish this task, I will be reviewing three empirical studies to evaluate how effective the program truly is.
According to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP), 1 out of every 100 people in the United States has been incarcerated (“The Facts on Drugs,” n.d.). Substance abuse is partly to blame. Approximately 60 percent of prison inmates had a positive drug test when they were arrested (National Institute of Justice, 1999). A judge supervises community family drug courts and assists non-violent parents with drug related issues while still holding them accountable for their crimes. Drug courts are
I believe that your topic about the effectiveness of drug courts is very interesting. It has been considered as a way that can be very cost effective and probably solve the issue of the overcrowding of prisons. Offenders who are non-violent are not placed in an environment where they probably will not be able to seek rehabilitation. Through the drug court program, the low level offenders will probably have a better opportunity in seeking real help and receive a second chance. They will be able to get support from their family and friends compared to just being placed in the prison system. However, are there enough drug court programs across the nation? How many people are not able to take advantage of this program? Looking forward in learning
The Larimer County 8th Judicial District Adult Drug Court program is a governmental agency that provides helps to individuals within the judicial system with drug abuse related offenses gain the tools for success to become a positive member of the community. The clients in this program have voluntarily chosen to be in this program and follow the terms and conditions of their probation as signed by a drug court contract that follows there terms and conditions set by the court. This may seem like a forced step or little step to some, but in reality, this is the first biggest step for drug abuse individuals because it means they are admitting they have a problem with drug abuse. Now it’s the Adult Drug Court team’s opportunity to provide the
While sitting in the court proceedings, the observer noticed the abundance of support resources available to offenders if needed. The difference between the success and failure cases is truly how devoted and involved the offender is in rehabilitation. Dye (2015) emphasizes the well-known punishment versus rehabilitation debate with greater award being in the community alternatives to incarceration. These specialty courts affirm a strong sense of community involvement with court supervision as well as foster the ability to heal in
The F.I.S.T. (Focused Intervention through Sanctions and Treatment) program is a good alternative for the incarceration of less serious drug-use offenders, because it minimizes costs, lowers recidivism rate, and it ensures social reintegration. This program is comprised of regular drug testing, court monitoring, counseling and treatment, educational subprograms, case management, and a punishment system which may result in imprisonment due to lack of compliance. The program is made up of a team of people led by a judge, including the defendant’s and prosecution’s legal representatives, probation officers, and drug-treatment
What else does drug court do, reduce drug use, reduce crime, save money, (which think about the cost in housing them as inmates), restores lives, both theirs and their family.
When deciding what topic I wanted to write for my Civic Engagement Project, I already had in mind that I wanted something that most of us are not use to seeing nowadays. Many of us compare courts with punishment, but what if there was a court that did the opposite? When I was starting my research on the different courts we have here in Florida, I came across Drug Courts. The more I read up on drug courts, the more I became fascinated and intrigued. Drug courts do not aim to "PUNISH”, but yet to provide treatment to drug abusers. This kind of court believes that everyone deserves a second chance, that extra push. During my research, I was interested in learning a few things. Such things I 'd like to learn about this kind of
Our US court system is not perfect, it is like a mirror that has some scratches on the surface. With some hard work and the right tools, the mirror can be fixed. Jennifer Murphy and Adam Benforado talk about how our court system is flawed. Murphy talks about drug courts and how they are affecting our court system. Benforado talks about the individuals involved in the courtroom and how their mistakes flaw the court system. Though both Jennifer Murphy and Adam Benforado do talk about ways to fix the systems too.
The drug court was Launched in Dade County Florida in 1989 at the height of the crack-cocaine epidemic in Miami and it has received enormous public attention and acclaim. The purpose of the drug Court was established to provide solution to the devastating effect of drugs on American Communities while the Community Courts are neighborhood- focused Courts that attempts to harness the power of the justice
Drug courts are less costly than traditional courts when it comes to adjudication. The cost analyses of drug courts have not included the opportunity cost which contributes to the operational cost of the programs, such as wraparound services—rehabs, transitional living facilities, etc.—which may promote reductions in recidivism rates. Drug Court is a scarce and precious resource that should be used in a manner that maximizes its benefits and minimizes its costs to participants and society in general.
“A drug court is a special court given responsibility to handle cases involving substance-abusing offenders through comprehensive supervision, drug testing, treatment services and immediate sanctions and incentives” (“what are drug courts?”). “These offenders have alcohol, drug addiction, and depending problems. Drug courts keep individuals in treatment long enough for it to work, while supervising them closely” (“what are drug courts?”). “In 1989, the first drug court was built in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The Miami-Dade drug court sparked a national revolution that has forever changed our justice system” (“what are drug courts?”). “Circuit court Judge Herbert M. Klein had become troubled by the negative effects of drug offenses on Dade County. He became determined to address the problem caused by widespread drug use. This first drug court became a model program for the nation” (“Drug Courts”, 2005). The main purpose of the drug court system is mainly to utilize the programs set in place to help serve the community better, and to deal with drug offenders in the local community. Each offender, whether they are a drug user or another offense, have drug courts that specifically tailor to the needs and certain interventions needed. Drug courts aim to monitor drug addicted criminal offenders and provide them treatment. It also helps these individuals from obtaining any more drugs, committing crimes due to drug use, helps them to complete their education, and helps them to
There are three unique types of specialized courts which are drugs courts, teen courts and mental health courts. Drug courts are mainly used to reduce drug use and the associated criminal behavior that comes with it. The judge attempts to reduce drug use by offering treatment aims instead of jail time, in hopes that the offender won’t turn back to drugs after being released. The evidence on the effectiveness of drugs courts are mixed, “most analysis reports that drugs court participants recidivate at a significantly lower level than comparison groups. (Lab, 2016)”
Problem-solving courts were built in response to the large influx of cocaine being distributed and “broken-window” policing (Kaye, 2004, p.131). With drug and quality-of-life crimes on the rise, courts were overwhelmed and defendants were not given proper attention. Many offenders would be released with no jail time. Those that received treatment or community service programs slipped through the cracks because there was no judicial monitoring (Kaye, 2004). Understanding the importance these crimes have on the community, Midtown Community Court opened in 1993 (Kaye, 2004). This would become the first court whose objective applied the problem-solving approach (Kaye, 2004).