What are drug courts? How successful have they been in reducing drug-related criminal activity?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers may vary.The most common kind of specialty court is drug court, created to deal with offenders whose crimes are related to addiction. Drug courts developed in response to an increase in antidrug law enforcement efforts and stiffer sanctions for drug offenders during the 1980s and 1990s. By the end of 2014, the National Institute of Justice estimated that there were more than 3,000 drug courts of various kinds operating throughout the 50 states.Drug courts were developed to address the abuse of alcohol and other drugs and criminal activity related to their abuse. Drug courts divert cases from the traditional criminal justice system and link drug-addicted offenders with treatment programs and extensive supervision. In exchange for successful completion of the program, the court may dismiss the original charge, reduce or set aside a sentence, assign some lesser penalty, or make a combination of these adjustments. The ultimate goal, in addition to improving the lives of drug-addicted individuals, is to reduce the number of drug offenders in prisons.Findings about the success of drug courts in reducing drug-related criminal activity are encouraging, though some drug courts work better than others. A meta-analysis of 60 studies that compared a treatment condition to a control condition, and that included at least one measure of criminal behavior as an outcome measure, concluded that drug courts have a significant, though modest, effect on recidivism. Offenders assigned to drug court had a 45.5% recidivism rate, while the comparison group had a 54.5% recidivism rate. The most successful programs were those that excluded violent offenders, worked with and treated offenders who had not yet entered a plea, and employed well-qualified and competent staff who ensured that the program was delivered as designed and who interacted positively with participants.