What is the history of drug court?
A New Approach. In 1989, a team of justice professionals established the nation’s first drug court in Miami-Dade County after expressing dissatisfaction with high recidivism rates. This approach integrated treatment into the criminal justice system, allowing offenders with drug problems to get the help they need.
How many people receive treatment in drug court?
Drug treatment courts are an excellent example of a successful deviation from established practice. Drug courts were created by sitting criminal court judges, overwhelmed and appalled by the real world they saw before them each day. Not only do drug treatment courts introduce new concepts and practices to the legal community, but they do so ...
What are drug court programs?
"The first Drug Court was implemented in Florida in 1989." Source: Carey, Shannon M., Ph.D.; Pukstas, Kimberly Ph.D.; Waller, Mark S.; Mackin, Richard J.; Finigan, Michael W. Ph.D. "Drug Courts and State Mandated Drug Treatment Programs: Outcomes, Costs and Consequences," NPC Research (Portland, OR: March 2008), p.2.
How has the drug court system changed over the years?
Apr 12, 2007 · the “going rate” for felony drug crimes is well established and understood by attorneys and defendants, significantly reducing the time to adjudicate cases and leading to greater fairness and equity in sentencing. In order to save considerable case processing time and resources, drug ... The First 20 Years of Drug Treatment Courts., 1-The.
Which state established the first Drug Court?
When was the Victorian Drug Court established?
What have drug courts led to?
What is Drug Court in NYS?
When was the drug court established?
How many drug courts are there in Victoria?
What are the two approaches to drug courts?
How do drug courts differ from criminal courts?
How does the drug court work?
How many drug courts are there in New York State?
Who created the first drug court?
The first drug court, in Miami-Dade County, was designed by Chief Judge Gerald Wetherington, Judge Herbert Klein, then State Attorney Janet Reno, and public defender Bennett Brummer for nonviolent offenders to receive treatment. This model of court system quickly became a popular method for dealing with an ever-increasing number of drug offenders. Between 1984 and 1999, the number of defendants charged with a drug offense in the federal courts increased 3% annually, from 11,854 to 29,306. By 1999 there were 472 drug courts in the nation. By 2005 that number had increased to 1262 with another 575 drug courts in the planning stages.
How does a drug court work?
Drug courts operate under a model that combines intensive judicial supervision, mandatory drug testing, escalating sanctions, and treatment to help offenders with substance use disorders break the cycle of addiction and the crime that accompanies it.
What is the recidivism rate for drug court?
The average recidivism rate for those who complete drug court is between 4% and 29%, in contrast to 48% for those who do not participate in a drug court program.
What is the NADCP?
The National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) is a non-profit organization founded in 1994 to reduce the negative social impact of substance use, crime, and recidivism. The NADCP advocates for the establishment, growth, and funding of drug courts and provides for the collection and dissemination of information. In 1997 the National Drug Court Institute (NDCI) was established by the Office of National Drug Control Policy as part of NADCP. NDCI is funded through the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) within the U.S. Department of Justice, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) within the U.S. Department of Transportation. NDCI provides comprehensive drug court training series for practitioners and disseminates important research, evaluations, and relevant commentary. NDCI stages over 130 training events each year.
How long was Lindsey Dills in jail?
Several recent drug court scandals made national news, including that of 17-year-old Lindsey Dills who was sentenced to 14 months in jail and 5.5 years of probation for two forged checks of $20 and $40.
Who is Amanda Williams?
Drugs in the United States. Amanda Williams, a Superior Court judge on the Brunswick Circuit in Georgia. Her treatment of defendants in drug court was the subject of an episode of Ira Glass 's This American Life.
When did drug courts start?
Since their inception in 1989 , drug courts programs have expanded from serving just adults, to include juvenile drug treatment courts, DUI/DWI courts, family treatment courts, mental health courts, veterans treatment courts, tribal healing to wellness courts, and others.
What is a drug court?
Drug courts are an innovative and effective solution to addressing substance use within the criminal court system. As the name implies, drug courts are specifically for persons with substance use disorders.
How do drug court programs work?
How Do Drug Courts Work? Drug court programs are for people charged with or convicted of criminal offenses, are likely to re-offend, and who are experiencing serious substance use disorders. There is no universal model for drug court programs but there are two common ways in which people enter drug court.
How effective are drug courts?
Drug courts are operating with incredible success across the country. They are effective at getting people into treatment — a key step in long-term sobriety. People who complete drug court programs are significantly less likely to be arrested again, compared to those who are sentenced with traditional punishments.
What is the punishment for drug charges?
In traditional criminal court cases, defendants found guilty of drug charges are punished with long periods of incarceration. Drug court programs recognize that addiction is a chronic disease of the brain that affects behavior and impulse control.
What is a drug court?
What Are Drug Courts? Drug courts help participants recover from use disorder with the aim of reducing future criminal activity.
How do drug courts help?
Drug courts help participants recover from use disorder with the aim of reducing future criminal activity. As an alternative to incarceration, drug courts reduce the burden and costs of repeatedly processing low‐level, non‐violent offenders through the nation's courts, jails, and prisons while providing offenders an opportunity to receive treatment ...
Overview
Juvenile drug court
Drug courts not only apply to adults but to juveniles as well. The need for a juvenile drug court can be indicated by the extent of a drug being associated with delinquency, the ability of the juvenile justice system to use treatment, supervision, and other services, as the accountability that the juvenile and the service providers are given by the juvenile justice system. Established in 1995, the nation's first juvenile drug court was in Wilmington, Delaware. As of 2020, there were 300 juvenil…
History
The first drug court, in Miami-Dade County, was designed by Chief Judge Gerald Wetherington, Judge Herbert Klein, then State Attorney Janet Reno, and public defender Bennett Brummer for nonviolent offenders to receive treatment. This model of court system quickly became a popular method for dealing with an ever-increasing number of drug offenders. Between 1984 and 1999, the number of defendants charged with a drug offense in the federal courts increased 3% annuall…
Operations
Drug courts operate under a model that combines intensive judicial supervision, mandatory drug testing, escalating sanctions, and treatment to help offenders with substance use disorders break the cycle of addiction and the crime that accompanies it. In 1997, the National Association of Drug Court Professionals published Defining Drug Courts: The Key Components designed to provide courts with a model which can be adapted to fit the specific needs of the community.
Recidivism rates
Some studies, largely those produced by drug court professional associations, show that recidivism rates for drug court clients are lower than those of standard dockets. The average recidivism rate for those who complete drug court is between 4% and 29%, in contrast to 48% for those who do not participate in a drug court program. A 2003 recidivism report by the Urban Institute and Caliber Associates called "Recidivism Rates For Drug Court Graduates: National Ba…
Costs and benefits
There is mixed evidence on whether drug courts save money or cost more per participant than traditional courts. Studies in the mid-2000s computed the average cost savings per participant. Results revealed average cost savings ranging from nearly $3,000 to over $12,000 per client. Depending upon the size of a given program, in some counties, the aggregate cost savings exceeded $7 to $9 million per year. There are about 120,000 individuals treated annually in drug …
National Association of Drug Court Professionals
The National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) is a non-profit organization founded in 1994 to reduce the negative social impact of substance use, crime, and recidivism. The NADCP advocates for the establishment, growth, and funding of drug courts and provides for the collection and dissemination of information. In 1997 the National Drug Court Institute (NDCI) was established by the Office of National Drug Control Policy as part of NADCP. NDCI is funded …
Criticism and controversies
In recent years, drug courts and drug court research have become the subject of significant criticism. Academic research questions both the constitutionality of drug courts and the potential denial or limitation of defendant's rights caused by the drug court model. Others, such as former drug court Judge Morris Hoffman, have theorized that drug courts "cause net widening due to the increased willingness by police to arrest offenders should they receive treatment versus jail tim…