...first Drug Court in the United States was established in Miami- Dade County, Florida in 1989 as a response to the growing crack-cocaine problem affecting the city. Chief Judge Gerald Wetherington, Judge Herbert Klein, then State Attorney Janet Reno and Public Defender Bennett Brummer designed the court for nonviolent offenders to receive treatment. A Drug Court is a specialty court that manages drug abuse cases through comprehensive supervision, drug testing and treatment. Incarceration is an appropriate resolution for some people, but for many, society is better served by addressing the underlying causes of a person’s addiction. Montgomery County Circuit Court offers two drug court programs, one for adults and one for juveniles. Both are comprehensive treatment programs for adults and youth offenders who have serious drug/alcohol dependency problems. The drug treatment court was established in October, 2003persuant to the order of Chief Judge Robert M. Bell of the Maryland Court Appeals. The drug court was developed because of high rates of re-arrest, fragmented approaches to treatment, a focus on punishment rather than rehabilitation. The Montgomery County Circuit Court Adult Court Program is a voluntary program that offers offenders with drug/alcohol-dependency problems a new opportunity to break the chain of the cycle of drug/alcohol addiction and crime through intensive treatment and, monitoring and direct attention from the court. The purpose of the Adult Drug Court Program...
Words: 960 - Pages: 4
...Drug Courts: Adult and Juvenile Rehabilitation Programs Eugene Berry Crj2200 Introduction to Criminal Courts Drug courts handle nonviolent substance abuse offenders, drug courts are used primarily to solve a problem rather than to send someone to jail or lock an offender away with less chance of rehabilitation. In the United States there are currently almost 2500 drug courts in the 50 states as well as the U.S. territories of Guam, and Puerto Ricco. Drug courts got their start in Florida, in 1989 judge Gerald Wetherington, Judge Herbert Klein, and state attorneys designed the court for non-violent offenders in Miami-Dade County, to battle a rising crack-cocaine problem in there city’s. Drug courts are a program the can involve different levels of intensive supervision by the courts themselves, this includes drug testing and substance abuse clinics or treatment programs. Drug court judges gain a lot of discretion and leeway in this system and can give the offenders instant or gradual sanctions if the offenders fail to meet the standards of the program given. To help keep the offenders compliant the courts can offer fewer drug tests, fewer court dates, and even the possibility of reduced or completely dismissed sentences if they programs are fully completed. Drug courts are proven to keep offenders from repeating their offences and the overall reduction in recidivism rates on these charges. There is research being done today that shows this treatment method could reduce drug...
Words: 1367 - Pages: 6
...and treatment programs for drug court participants and explain why they would or would not support the change. 1. Offenders are an important stakeholder because they do not have to serve a prison term. In addition, individuals who participate in drug courts have the possibly to maintain their jobs which can help them complete the program. Non-violent drug offenders will support this policy because they can be rehabilitated without going to prison. 2. Drug courts gives non-violent offenders treatment for their habit and they do not have to serve a prison term if...
Words: 634 - Pages: 3
...Catanduanes State University Laboratory Schools Virac, Catanduanes SY 2014-2015 Drug Addiction/Drug Usage Lyri Kirsten Anicken T. Gianan Grade 9 – Platinum Mr. Eddie Cabrera February 11, 2015 Report on the Enforcement of the Prohibition Laws of the United States by the National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement (Wickersham Commission Report on Alcohol Prohibition) I have signed the report of the Commission, although as is probably inevitable when eleven people of different antecedents and temperaments endeavor to agree upon a contentious subject, it is more or less of a compromise of varying opinions. In so far as it states facts, I believe it to be generally accurate. Every effort has been made to make it so. I should have preferred to have it state more facts and fewer broad generalizations from unstated facts. But the difficulties in securing accurate statistics, owing to the unsystematic and unscientific manner in which they are commonly kept in this country, often makes it impossible to get reliable statements of fact, although there may be sufficient available information to afford a fairly reliable basis of generalization. I am in entire accord with the conclusions "that enforcement of the National Prohibition Act made a bad start which has affected enforcement ever since"; that "it was not until after the Senatorial investigation of 1926 had opened people's eyes to the extent of law breaking and corruption that serious efforts were made" to coordinate "the...
Words: 16435 - Pages: 66
...case update, on a case that I have been following Describe a Practice Situation: (Descriptive items to cover: the situation, your part in it or the roles of others you observed, the outcome, and your reactions and feelings during the event or afterward.) This week I observed meetings where case plans were updated (must be completed every six months). The case plan update includes: formulating new goals, assessing if older goals were achieved and the interventions required to meet those...
Words: 776 - Pages: 4
...incarceration cause considerable disadvantages to society (16). Policies derived from the War on Drugs influenced the widespread of mental and substance abuse disorders among populations of incarceration (16). In order to accomplish the goal of preventing incarceration, evidence based treatments within corrections focus on prevention strategies (16). Evidence supports the idea of healthcare interventions aiding in the reduction of crime, and recidivism rates (16). These types of interventions can reduce costs to society, and improve the therapeutic outcomes of individuals who suffer from substance abuse and mental disorders (16). Mental health courts (MHC) offer a promising alternative to incarceration. Crime can produce inevitable effects, and cause society to experience considerable economic costs (1). The combination of correctional and drug policies in the United States have contributed to the rise in prison populations across the country, resulting in billions of dollars in economic losses (1). Programs such as problem-solving courts can generate benefits by reducing costs caused by crime. The objective of many MHC studies is to provide evidence that...
Words: 1143 - Pages: 5
...Drug Policy Reform Eric L. Morton Urban Policy/UST 458 Cleveland State University Abstract In the United States the prison population has increased from 300,000 in 1972 to 2.2 million people today. One in 31 adults in the United States is in jail, prison, on probation or parole. The American government currently spends over 68 billion dollars a year on incarceration. Drug Policy and the incarceration of low-level drug offenders is the primary cause of mass incarceration in the United States. Forty percent of drug arrests are for simple possession of marijuana. Growing evidence indicates that drug treatment and counseling programs are far more effective in reducing drug addiction and abuse than is incarceration. Drug policies most often refer to the government's attempt to combat the negative effects of drug addiction and misuse in its society Governments try to combat drug addiction with policies which address both the demand and supply of drugs, as well as policies which can mitigate the harms of drug abuse. Demand reduction measures include prohibition, fines for drug offenses, incarceration for persons convicted for drug offenses, treatment (such as voluntary rehabilitation), awareness campaigns, community social services, and support for families. Policies which may help mitigate the effects of drug abuse include needle exchange and drug substitution programs, as well as free facilities for testing...
Words: 2657 - Pages: 11
...Walker cites the National Academy of Sciences stating that rehabilitation is “any planned intervention that reduces an offender’s further criminal activity (Walker 251).” Walker breaks down rehabilitation models into two groups, the new and the old groups. The new groups that Walker suggests may have some positive hope are reentry programs, and drug courts. The old groups include probation, parole, and other reintegration programs. Worrall has a similar definition of rehabilitation, stating that “rehabilitation consist of a planned intervention intended to change behavior (Worrall 40). He similarly assesses several of these programs and reaches similar conclusions as Walker. Drug courts are specialized courts that focus on substance abuse. Generally offenders are offered the chance at skipping prison or jail sentences if they successfully complete a substance abuse treatment program (Walker 275). Walker assesses drug courts, when they are well managed and designed carefully, as being promising as possibly lowering recidivism (Walker 277). Worrall reached similar conclusions, stating that while much of the research into the effectiveness of drug courts has suffered from design limitations, they have shown reductions in recidivism (Worrall 168). Reentry programs try and take a fresh look at sending prisoners back into society after revamped educational and counseling programs (Walker 363). Unfortunately there is not a lot of evidence that these programs reduce recidivism rates...
Words: 848 - Pages: 4
...with drug use. Lower Columbia Mental Health mainly focuses on cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for the treatment of drug use and to prevent relapse. After extensive research of the population the facility found that this is the most productive and effective form of treatment. Wayne Floor of Lower Columbia Mental Health stated that after years of being a first responder he knew that there needed to be more for people with addictions. He joined a team of individuals who also had similar views of what types of treatments were needed for the epidemic that they were all witnessing. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy was developed as a method to prevent relapse when treating problem drinking and later it was adapted for cocaine-addicted individuals (National Institute on Drug Abuse, n.d.).Cowlitz County is known for the problems with drugs such as methamphetamines and heroin. “The problem that we see, is that there are no “real” treatments only court enforced treatments for the people of this area” says Wayne. The therapists of Lower Columbia Mental Health all agreed that the best course of action is for therapy to consist of CBT. The central element of CBT is anticipating likely problems and enhancing patients’ self-control by helping them develop effective coping strategies (National Institute on Drug Abuse, n.d.). All of the therapist within the organization practice CBT and cognitive interventions. The main goal of drug interventions is to reduce the level of drug use and...
Words: 1246 - Pages: 5
...Walker cites the National Academy of Sciences stating that rehabilitation is “any planned intervention that reduces an offender’s further criminal activity (Walker 251).” Walker breaks down rehabilitation models into two groups, the new and the old groups. The new groups that Walker suggests may have some positive hope are reentry programs, and drug courts. The old groups include probation, parole, and other reintegration programs. Worrall has a similar definition of rehabilitation, stating that “rehabilitation consist of a planned intervention intended to change behavior (Worrall 40). He similarly assesses several of these programs and reaches similar conclusions as Walker. Drug courts are specialized courts that focus on substance abuse. Generally offenders are offered the chance at skipping prison or jail sentences if they successfully complete a substance abuse treatment program (Walker 275). Walker assesses drug courts, when they are well managed and designed carefully, as being promising as possibly lowering recidivism (Walker 277). Worrall reached similar conclusions, stating that while much of the research into the effectiveness of drug courts has suffered from design limitations, they have shown reductions in recidivism (Worrall 168). Reentry programs try and take a fresh look at sending prisoners back into society after revamped educational and counseling programs (Walker 363). Unfortunately there is not a lot of evidence that these programs reduce recidivism rates...
Words: 848 - Pages: 4
...Juvenile Drug Court Program Garret July 11, 2015 Due to the influx of juvenile drug offenses, it became clear that juvenile drug offenders required a more stable, directed and protected process if decrease of offenses was going to be successful for offenders, and the idea of the drug court was a good one. The drug court utilizes an idea called wrap-around services, which had previously been so successful with reducing the recidivism of adults. This study of the JDC in Lexington, Kentucky was undertaken to examine the outcomes of the implementation of the adaptations of the wrap-around procedures and services to see if the new model was succeeding. These adaptations stemmed from an in depth theoretical perspective application to basically understand why children do what they do with hopes of applying these theories to the JDC. Without attempting to answer the question of why children act the way they do, the question that the study hoped to answer was could a web of conventional social norms be woven to help prevent the behaviors (social interaction theory) or provide a base of norms, which children can choose to conform to (social control theory). These conventional social norms that were applied to the JDC were based on the comprehensive wrap-around service idea of criminal activity reduction. Overall, JDCs have been created countrywide since offenses for drug abuse have risen while other offenses for juveniles have either leveled out or decreased over the past ten...
Words: 1180 - Pages: 5
...Substance Abuse Evaluations, Pre-Indictment Events , Plea Bargains, Pretrial Intervention Program (P.T.I.), The Grand Jury, The Indictment Process, The Pre-Arraignment Conference and Arraignment, The Status and Pretrial Conferences, Trials, Presentence Investigations, Reports and Sentencing, Post-Conviction Motions, and the "TEAM" concept in Criminal Case Processing I will address a few of those process and how they work. The first process is the reporting of a crime and the arrest. The second process is Intake the Criminal Division of Superior Court manages criminal complaints from the time they are lodged to their resolution or "disposition". The accused, or "defendant" is charged with an offense as a result of a formal complaint issued by a law enforcement agent or a citizen who believes an offense has been committed against their person or property. It can also result from an "indictment" by a panel of citizens gathered to consider evidence, called a "grand jury". Arrests can occur at the scene of a crime or based on warrants or sworn statements ordering a court appearance. All arrests must be based on "probable cause", or reasonable grounds to believe that an offense has been committed and the defendant may have committed the offense. The third process is First Appearance: Once a complaint is issued, defendants are either arrested or issued a summons or notice to appear in municipal or Superior Court on a first appearance. If they fail to appear, a warrant may be issued for...
Words: 1285 - Pages: 6
...Aiken Center SW 304 July 26, 2013 Mission/Vision The Aiken Center is a county-wide agency serving the citizen of Aiken and the surrounding areas. It’s an outpatient facility offering alcohol and drug abuse education, treatment, intervention, prevention and employee assistance program services to meet the needs of the community. The Aiken Center can provide treatment services to adults and young people. The center is committed to providing effective services in safe and pleasant surroundings. The Aiken Center offers affordable, accessible treatment, interventions, prevention and educational services in an effort to reduce the negative effects of substance use, abuse and addition, to create a safer, healthier environment for all Aiken County citizens. At the Aiken Center, they believe that the prevention or successful interventions of substance abuse behaviors as well as recovery from addiction to alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs are achievable goals (A. Dunbar, personal communication, July 22, 2013). The achievement of these goals depends upon a willingness on the part of affected persons to address identified problems, the assistance of professional services providers, and the presence of a meaningful support system. The success or failure of recovery must be assessed on the basis of individual needs, preferences, strengths and abilities. Funding Sources The Aiken Center has been in operation in Aiken County since February 12, 1974—over thirty-five years. According...
Words: 1302 - Pages: 6
...Early Intervention and Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Evidence from the Chicago Longitudinal Study Carla Robinson Alcorn State University This article discusses the early intervention and juvenile delinquency prevention. The role of an educational intervention and child, family, peer and school level prediction on court reported juvenile delinquency. This paper will discuss the importance of early intervention and schooling factors in reducing delinquency and highlights the benefits of early intervention as one mechanism for delinquency prevention. Child parent centered preschools programs found long term benefits of an early childhood educational intervention on court reported measures of juvenile delinquency. The current strongest family factor associated with delinquency was child abuse and neglect between ages four and eleven. Child maltreatment was associated with juvenile delinquency; other family factors such as parental involvement in schools were not significantly associated with any delinquency outcome. Child maltreatment was associated with both delinquency and drug arrest. It incorporates the system approach because it shows that all systems are linked to juvenile delinquency whether it is good or bad. The family system plays the biggest role as well as the environment. The children have to have a positive relationship between all of the systems for them not to have a predicator that can cause delinquency. The three conclusions that that are in...
Words: 618 - Pages: 3
...Reduction * For Legalization: (short answer) * Policies creating more harm than drugs * Legalize so they don’t have to commit criminal acts * So many people are using it, should be legalized * Failed to reduce use and addiction * Prohibition has negative health consequences * Reduced drug price reduced violence * Crime would decrease less crowded courts and jails * Focus too much on illegal drugs focus on legal drugs * Against Legalization: * Alcohol has history of social acceptance in US * Prohibition is affective against illicit drugs * Legalization of drugs increases consumption increase in overdose and death * How come crack involves higher level of violence than cocaine if less expensive drugs results in less crime? * If legalized more people will start using drugs * Good Country Policies (essay question) * England: * Marijuana is not prescribed for medical use * Prescribe heroin for heroin addicts * Reach out to people to get treatment through the Justice System * When you want help you get help * Portugal: * Jail time replaced with treatment * People caught with small amount sent to a panel * Decriminalization decline illegal drugs, HIV, people seeking treatment doubled * Sweden: * Drug free policy it is illegal * Blood and urine tests whenever they want ...
Words: 937 - Pages: 4