Drug Specialized Courts

Drug Specialized Courts

In an event to deal with increasing crimes as a result of drug challenges, the justice system introduced the specialized drug courts. These courts are under the docket of rehabilitation programs put in place to assist people in dealing with social challenges as a way of controlling crime in the country. Drug courts are explicitly directed towards helping the offenders, juveniles, defendants, and parents who are dealing with alcohol or any other drug-related dependency challenges. Instead of trying these individuals in the regular courts, the law understands that they are dealing with personal issues that lead them to commit some offenses.

The court processes are based on previous experiences with drugs and how they might have contributed to the individual engaging in the particular issues that raises alarms. The different professionals in the fields of mental health are involved in the trial process to help determine the kind of disorders that offenders might be facing and the relationships they have towards crime. Psychiatrists are also of great assistance in ensuring that the individuals get more help instead of judgment (Mitchell et al, 2012). They understand the situation better as compared to officers of the law who might be too tough on the individuals. The specialist drug courts are put in place for rehabilitation and education to the offenders and, in the process, offer them a chance to change when they re-enter the society after serving their sentence.

Most of these courts are divided into an adult, juvenile, and family drug courts, to ensure that each case gets specialized treatment with the right professionals involved in the process. Adult drug justice systems are designed for individuals who have been involved in offenses as a result of substance abuse. Even when given a harsh sentence like prolonged incarceration, they are more likely to relapse and do worse when they re-join the community (Mitchell et al, 2012). Professional help offered here is meant to help them manage their addiction by keeping them under strict monitoring to ensure that they do not take any drugs. They also undergo treatment through several rehabilitation services, incentives, and more supervision for the best outcome possible.

Juvenile drug courts use a similar approach but, in this case, deal with only youths and especially underage offenders struggling with drug-related disorders. The program is specified for this age bracket because of its vulnerability towards this social challenge. The law provides counseling to individuals going through these challenges by involving their parents or guardians for support systems. They get educated on the impact of drugs in their life, especially their future engagements when they start dealing with the law. Individuals also receive strict supervision during the entire period, and some follow-ups to ensure that they have learned their lesson (Mitchell et al, 2012).

Family drug-related courts are concerned about parents who have been charged with harming their families due to substance abuse. These involve individuals who are in one way or the other involved in domestic violence, child abuse, or negligence to the point of suffering or even death. These are people who need rehabilitation because they might end up harming more than just their families if released without any assistance (Worcel et al, 2008). The professionals start by studying the different factors that might be of significant contribution to their behavior and try to solve them from there.

All these drug-related processes of justice are directed towards not only giving sentences to individuals but also rehabilitating them. The individuals are exposed to their mistakes and made accountable to ensure the effectiveness of the system. They also serve their sentence but under more favorable strategies that focus on their emotional and psychological recovery. The biggest hope is that individuals will come out changed and in a position to make positive decisions towards their lives and those of others.

References

Mitchell, O., Wilson, D. B., Eggers, A., & MacKenzie, D. L. (2012). Assessing the effectiveness of drug courts on recidivism: A meta-analytic review of traditional and non-traditional drug courts. Journal of Criminal Justice, 40(1), 60-71.

Worcel, S. D., Furrer, C. J., Green, B. L., Burrus, S. W., & Finigan, M. W. (2008). Effects of family treatment drug courts on substance abuse and child welfare outcomes. Child Abuse Review: Journal of the British Association for the Study and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, 17(6), 427-443.