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Tonight Joe Biden called for drug courts instead of incarcerating people for "pure drug offenses" (by which I assume he means nonviolent possession or sale of drugs).
So what's a drug court? [thread]
So what's a drug court? [thread]
Drug court is an alt. court where the criminal justice system (judges + probation officers etc) works w/ medical and social workers to help ppl kick their drug habit.
It's still a court, and there's still a judge. But you don't go to jail unless you can't complete the program.
It's still a court, and there's still a judge. But you don't go to jail unless you can't complete the program.
A few facts:
You have to be eligible - usually, you have a drug use problem and you're likely to keep using drugs if you go to jail.
You have to plead guilty to have your case pushed to drug court.
If you complete the program you MAY get your record expunged.
You have to be eligible - usually, you have a drug use problem and you're likely to keep using drugs if you go to jail.
You have to plead guilty to have your case pushed to drug court.
If you complete the program you MAY get your record expunged.
The first drug court was started in Miami-Dade County, Florida in 1989. At the time, it was pretty revolutionary. Not sending druggies to prison, in what was still the height of the War on Drugs? Definitely a different tactic.
https://www.sentencingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Drug-Courts-A-Review-of-the-Evidence.pdf
https://www.sentencingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Drug-Courts-A-Review-of-the-Evidence.pdf
A lot of advocates, though, actually want America to move away from drug courts. Drug Policy Alliance, for example, has published multiple papers on how drug courts aren't the answer - like this one from 2014. https://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/Fact_sheet_Moving_Away_from_Drug_Courts_Toward_Health_Approach_May2014.pdf
DPA calls drug courts "a laudable attempt
to ameliorate the devastating effects of the nation’s
misguided drug laws" but says that evidence has shown they are "no more effective than voluntary
treatment [and] do not demonstrate ... reduced
criminal justice involvement."
to ameliorate the devastating effects of the nation’s
misguided drug laws" but says that evidence has shown they are "no more effective than voluntary
treatment [and] do not demonstrate ... reduced
criminal justice involvement."
Obama pushed pretty hard for drug courts. Here's his administration's page why he wanted to create and fund more drug courts -- https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/ondcp/ondcp-fact-sheets/drug-courts-smart-approach-to-criminal-justice
This is all a really rough summary, I'm not an expert yet on drug courts (but I hopefully will be by the end of tomorrow); I'm still learning more and will have more ASAP. If you see something I posted that could use more context or clarity, please chime in!
