Posted: September 7th, 2022

Effectiveness of Drug Courts

Effectiveness of Drug Courts
The criminal justice department focuses on maintaining order in the community by offering programs that focus on rehabilitation and related treatments. It is not always about incarceration since the prison population is already high, and there is a need to find other alternatives. Drug courts are an example of programs offered to give attention to individuals who were intoxicated during their offenses. However, the Drug Court and DUI programs’ effectiveness has been studied to determine whether they are worth undertaking. These courts’ cost is also an issue that is often analyzed, considering the criminal justice department has many other programs. Taxpayers’ money is valuable, hence the need to analyze these courts’ goals and the possibilities of attaining them. And, while Drug and DUI courts are mainly for adults since they are the most exposed to drugs, there is also a sector dedicated to juveniles due to an increase of youths who engage in alcohol and other drugs. Understanding Drug Courts’ effectiveness means looking into the recidivism rates and the possibility of receptiveness among adult offenders and juveniles.
When drug courts were implemented, a strategy to measure their effectiveness was enforced. Like most government programs, Drug and DUI courts are expected to sign and implement data collection and analysis strategies (Emigh, 2017). It was relevant that each court undertakes recording all offenders under their program, type of drugs they were using, recidivism records, and programs completed successfully. These records would show that the drug court was achieving its objectives in rehabilitation and treatment at all. In 2016, the drug courts showed a 7.5% reduction in recidivism rates (Emigh, 2017). It was also noted that those who attended drug court had a 45% recidivism as opposed to non-offenders with a 55% likelihood of re-offending under intoxication. Therefore, it is fair to say that drug courts have a small effect on preventing recidivism. No matter how small, a good rehabilitation and treatment program for drug users should make a difference. DUI courts, on the other hand, exhibit a big impact in reducing recidivism since the 70’s traffic fatalities due to alcohol have fallen from 60% to 40% (Emigh, 2017). Ever since the implementation of DUI courts, recidivism has declined as well as alcohol-related traffic fatalities.
Costs of drug courts are also essential to determine the initiative’s effectiveness as opposed to other alternatives such as incarceration. According to research, drug courts are beneficial as they save money that would have been spent in incarceration. It costs $20,000-$50,000 to send a drug-user to jail while a drug court program costs $2,500-$4,000 (Emigh, 2017). According to the National Institute of Corrections, every $1.00 spent on drug court program results in $9.61 in benefits for the next ten years. Drug courts also free up prison space that should be intended for more violent criminals who will endanger the community. There is an impending need within the United States of America to free up prison space due to overcrowding. Prison administrations are also suffering from the lack of resources that rarely cover the demanding population’s needs. This “quiet revolution,” known as the drug courts, allows offenders to recover and pick up their lives within the community since the threat of incarceration is enough to change an addict (Emigh, 2017). Most offenders who commit misdemeanor crimes work through the program and recover their lives to become law-abiding citizens.
Moving on from Adult Drug Courts, Juvenile Drug Courts have worked towards giving minors rehabilitation to avoid incarceration. These courts were established in the footsteps of adult courts after they proved to be effective. As mentioned, their two goals are helping young people from serving time in prison and giving them will good quality rehabilitation (Seidel, 2019). Instead of punishment, juvenile courts focus more on treating minors and giving them psychological help to become better citizens. Juvenile drug courts focus more on helping youths overcome the issues of addiction. Since minors are considered to be given fewer rights and have a lesser understanding of the law, the courts try to give them opportunities to remain within the community. Their parents are then expected to work together with the Juvenile Drug Court administration to ensure the minor makes it through the entire program without fail. There is also the case of re-offending, which is handled differently across adult and juvenile drug courts. For recurrent offenders, the case in adult drug courts may end up in incarceration. This is not the case with juvenile drug courts as they intend to shape programs that provide appropriate treatment and counseling for minors and their families. Juvenile drug courts consider the circumstances and needs of minors as opposed to adults.
Furthermore, there are both pros and cons to juvenile drug courts. One of the major advantages is that the program offers stronger levels of criminal justice benefits (Seidel, 2019). Since minors are less likely to get incarcerated, the system then takes the chance to channel benefits such as counseling, community service, and other programs to mold them into law-abiding citizens. Another advantage of juvenile drug courts is that system drawbacks are seldom. Chances of the court failing are very low as they integrate parents into the program. Parents are more likely to influence their children in the right direction, making it a form of double effort as the parents and the court work together. These drug courts’ counseling is also beneficial to minors as it is often shaped to fit their specific needs (Seidel, 2019). There is no standardized manner for drug court counseling since the system considers the different situations the juveniles face. Unfortunately, there are a few disadvantages that make the program less desirable. Juvenile drug courts last longer – sometimes a whole year. In some cases, it can run longer than a regular juvenile court (Seidel, 2019). Drug courts may involve compliance with difficult orders such as frequent drug tests, curfews, and daily recovery meetings. Complying with these expectations may be challenging for minors and their parents.
As opposed to adults, juveniles have shown a high chance of receptiveness to rehabilitation when it comes to treatment. First off, juveniles are given more resources, as mentioned earlier. The criminal justice system is highly focused on working together with minors and provide adequate resources that will shape their decision-making capabilities (Seidel, 2019). Since juveniles have only lived a small portion of their lives, the criminal justice system owes it to them to consider their circumstances hence the counseling sessions. Adults are less receptive since the drug court program is focused highly on harsh and disciplinary protective measures. For juveniles, some centers include rewards to their programs after a youth exhibits positive or obedient behaviors. This has been another motivating factor for juveniles’ willingness to accept treatment. Besides having their parents guide them, minors have other role models such as teachers, to try and steer them towards accepting rehabilitation programs (Seidel, 2019). Research has linked education to improved behavior and reduced delinquency. Since most juveniles are still within a school setting, they are likely to accept treatment. These factors all aid juveniles to consider rehabilitation and faithfully participate in treatment with an open mind.
In summary, Drug Courts are effective in reducing recidivism due to participants’ willingness to accept rehabilitation. Whether the offender is juvenile or adult, criminal justice drug and DUI courts see to it that individuals undergo certain programs to reduce re-offending chances. The adult court may differ from the juvenile one, but the end goals are the same. For adults, drug courts show small effectiveness, while DUI shows a noticeable amount of effectiveness. Drug courts have also been found to be cost-effective as it is more expensive to incarcerate an offender. Juvenile drug courts, however, have goals such as offering rehabilitation in place of incarcerations. The criminal justice system has been found to benefit the juvenile drug court by giving the offenders more resources and integration of parents into the program. Despite the juvenile drug court being tedious due to a lengthy process and daily meetings, minors are more likely to respond to rehabilitation given the thought that the system highly tries to rehabilitate them and shape their future decision-making skills. Overall, drug courts are effective and can be relied upon to reduce recidivism.

References
Emigh, M. (2017). The Efficacy of Drug Courts. Retrieved from https://www.ebpsociety.org/blog/education/271-efficacy-drug-courts#:~:text=Reducing%20Recidivism&text=Another%20study%20found%20that%20the,times%20to%20recidivism%20after%20treatment.
Seidel, M. (2019). The Pros and Cons of a Drug Court. Retrieved from https://legalbeagle.com/8150101-pros-cons-drug-court.html

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