Medication Courts In The 1980s

Drug Court is an example of drugs/alcohol intervention programs which monitors the movement of non-violent drug addicts in a well refined structured treatment programs to help them recover. I heard about drug court for the first time when we watched the movie in class. I think drug court gives drugs/alcohol offenders chances to redeem themselves by sending them to rehab and other services that will help make them better people within the period. Three reasons why I think drug courts are effective in a community.

Drug Courts are a disclaimer, they allow continuous and repeat drug offenders to waste the taxes payers money and the states time. While there are other matters that their time could be better spent on. Yet, drug courts continue to grow, with almost seventy-five up are up and running in almost ever state. The average amount enrolled in this failing course is ninety-thousand individuals! An in additional to an average of fifty to sixty new cases daily. Each case roughly costing around three thousand to thirteen thousand per client, which funds are relied on by tax payers. So, the question remains, do you support Drug Courts?

This paper will look into family dependency treatment court (FDTC) also known as dependency drug court (DDC). The paper will examine the question: How

When I attended to observe the drug court in Salt Lake City,I did not really know what to expect, it was at that moment where I can better understand how the justice system works in relation to cases of offenders with substance abuse problems.

Our textbook describes the two general types of drug courts as pretrial diversion, and post adjudication (Schmalleger & Smykla, 2015, p 132). Reading the section on drug courts one might conclude drug courts are the greatest thing since sliced bread. However, I attest this is not the truth. I have personally seen the effects of drug courts, and they simply do not work.

Drug courts are considered to be one of the most successful innovations to be implemented in the criminal justice system. It was first implemented during the height of the drug war hysteria and the long epidemic of the skyrocketing rates of incarceration. According to the Bureau of Justice Assistance (2010), drug courts are a “specially designed court docket, whose purpose is to achieve a reduction in recidivism and substance abuse among nonviolent substance abusing offenders and to increase the offender’s likelihood of successful habilitation through, continuous, and intense judicially supervised treatment, mandatory periodic drug testing, community supervision, and use of appropriate sanctions and other rehabilitation services”. Drug Courts were first launched in 1989 by the Miami-Dade County area of Florida. A local prosecutor by the name of Janet Reno and a few other criminal justice professionals grew tired of seeing the same faces and same cases reappear in court so their solution to the problem was to combine drug treatment within the court-like structure. The number of drug courts since then have proliferated to nearly 3,400 across the United States as of June 2014 (NIJ, 2015). More than half target adults and a growing number of juveniles, families, veterans, and various other case types. The innovation of drug courts alters how the court system handles and monitors drug involved cases and integrates the treatment aspect into their primary goals.

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)”

The criminologist’s perspective has a heavy reliance on the drug court when it comes to the disciplinary approaches used in relations to drugs. The term “drug courts” alludes to devoted courts that give judicially- observed treatment, drug testing and other services to drug-involved offenders. They target criminal respondents and guilty parties, adolescent offenders and guardians with pending welfare cases who have either drug or alcohol dependency problems. (Drug Courts Program Office, 1997)

The way drug courts works, there are eligible drug-addicted people who may be sent to drug courts instead on the traditional sentencing system. During the term for drug courts individuals have aces to intensive treatment and other services to keep them clean and drug free, held accountable by the court system, regularly get tested for drug use, make frequent appearance in court with the judge presiding over their case, and get rewarded for the progress. There are often times when individuals get sanctioned for not fulfilling their obligations during the program. The eligibility for drug courts varies by each state and the judges presiding over the case. The mission for drug courts is to reduce drug use, reduce crime, save money, and ultimately restore lives. There are several different forms of drug courts some include adult drug court, juvenile drug court, reentry court, family drug court, and veterans treatment court.

The right to life, liberty, and health and equality before the law, as addressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), are perhaps the most fundamental rights that have been compromised by drug policy and reform. The INPUD (International Network

The criminologist’s perspective has a heavy reliance on the drug court when it comes to the disciplinary approaches used in relations to drugs. The term 'Drug Court ' refers to dedicated courtrooms that provide judicially- monitored treatment, drug testing and other services to drug-involved offenders. They

By having an accurate dosage, a high purity level, and a lower price, prescription pills have established a place next to regular street drugs. Medical offices and pharmacies help supply a large amount of these drugs. There is no glory in catching doctors and pharmaceutical companies involved in this illegal drug trafficking. Media coverage is small due to the fact there are no guns and no bundles of case for the world to see. Sometimes action is taken, but the results are usually small. Very few doctors, dentists, and pharmacists are prosecuted annually for prescription fraud.

I am the daughter, granddaughter and niece of attorneys and, therefore, have been exposed to different parts of law and the legal system for most of my life. Throughout my childhood I have seen how attorneys prepare for trial, the effort they put into trial, and the research and information gained before and during the trial. However, prior to my observation of the court for this paper, I had never been inside a courtroom. Having heard about the going ons and different processes of the court it was an eye opening experience to attend court. I observed both the District and Superior Courts of Rhode Island at the courthouse in Washington Square in Newport. I observed both a female judge, Judge Hastings of District Court and a male, Judge Stone of Superior Court, judge. There were differences between the behaviors of the attorneys and the members of the court when the judge was not sitting on the bench, differences in the types of cases presented to each level of the court, and differences in the behaviors of the judges.

The discussion of drug usage is a controversial topic in today’s society provided with both positive and negative aspects. Prescribed drugs are considered to be advantageous because it is used to assist an individual, regularly a patient, dealing with a specific concern within their body or mind. However, the misuse of nonmedical drugs has been spreading rapidly in the United States. When a drug is misused addictions can arise and cause several troubles in the lives of an individual (Rozenbroek, 2011).

On November 30th, 2017 I visited the Guilderland Town Hall. I was able to have first hand experience of what I felt like to watch what goes on during criminal court. In the court room their were a vast amount of people, and in some way each one of these individuals played a role in the way the court room functions. The courtroom consisted of the district attorney’s (plaintiff), defense attorney, the court officers, the clerk, the bailiff, the defendant, the defendants’ family members, other students, and the most important person the judge. In this court the judge handled cases such as drug offenses,