Drug Courts

The drug court is a unique effort that uses the occasion of a drug offence arrest as an intervention opportunity for drug offenders even though historical problems in criminal justice diversion and referral programs the Dade County success rates have shown that these problems can be overcome through unique collaborative relationships, innovative treatment design, and the elimination of conventional gaps in the referral- treatment-monitoring process.

It is the purpose of this paper to explore the concept that drug courts are a far more effective method of punishment for drug offenders than the traditional route of incarceration. The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 provided a potential one billions dollars for the subsequent five years to set up drug courts.

As jurisdictions move forward in the establishment of such courts, it is essential to consider the conceptual and clinical elements that have made drug courts successful in drug rehabilitation and crime prevention far more than incarcerations. The first drug court in Dade County, Florida, created in 1989, was the prototype. The three-phase Miami program for first and second cocaine offenders begins with arrest and overnight incarceration in the Dade County Stockade, and appearance the following morning before the drug court judge.

The program was developed under the direction of Dade County Superior Court Judge Herbert Klein, with the assistance of Michael Smith, MD, and Director of Substance Abuse. After two years of the drug court’s operation, 4296 felony drug possession arrestees had been diverted to the program. Of these, 1600 had graduated the three-phase program with a 3% re-arrest rate 1153 were still in the program with a 7% re-arrest rate; 500 had their charges dismissed after program entry; and 1043 failed to comply with the program.

Also, 90% of the arrestees who were offered the program accepted the program the other 10% were arraigned in regular Supreme Court no screening for “treatment-readiness” was conducted, meaning that this was a non-selected, typical group of cocaine addicted offenders; 60% of the program graduates required at least a brief in-patient stay during their treatment most of the “failure to comply” drop-out group left the program in the first three weeks of participation 30% of the dropout sgroup later returned to the program either voluntarily, by summons, or by repeat minor arrest.

The cost was given at $750 per client, per year. Clients pay mandated fees for the program, and the program is partially funded by a special fine levied on a certain class of traffic offense. When the program began, seized assets were used for part of the program startup costs. References WWW. DDRS. COM Promptly at 8 o’clock on Tuesday night at the community church in my home town largo, Maryland, there are life changing effort from alcoholics in the community, I have had the pleasure of witnessing these efforts with my own eyes and I must say it is truly eye opening.

The reason for these meetings is for alcoholics to have time to relate to others and share their feelings and concern with their peers. At the start of the meeting the group leader leads the group with a prayer and words of wisdom, shortly after they allow the person in a attends to help themselves to snack and drinks alcohol free, normally the administer name tags but on the particular day on my attendant they were out. The group leader made it clear that if you were not in the mode to speak all you have to do was say pass in order for me to not insult the others in attended at the meeting I sat in the circle with the group.

The group leader asked each individual person to introduce there selves being that the name tags where not at the groups disposal, after being ask for their names they were given an opportunity individual to share what was on their mind most of everyone spoke, A guy named Louis who shared said he is ready for the rain to end and broke down in tears. Right then and there I realize that being a alcoholic was not a life chose but more so a sickness. The group leader would often lecture as well as ask others very specific questions to different individual.

At the end of the meeting the group leader close with more words of wisdom as well as a prayer. The A. A meeting was a great experience as well life changing I was very proud to see others with courage talk about their biggest life problems. I would defiantly recommend these meetings to anyone with addiction, on the simple fact of other and peers being able to relate to the same problem that you have make you feel like you’re getting thru it together. {copied directly from the notepad I brought to the meeting wanted to keep it authentic sorry for all the eras}