Adult Drug Court Program (Essay Sample)

Adult Drug Court Program Student’s Name University Course Professor Date Adult Drug Court Program Introduction Drugs and substance abuse is one of the major problems faced by the United States today. It is estimated that a significant population of Americans is addicted to drugs and alcohol. The economic cost of this problem is very high, and it is also responsible for a high number of crimes. For several years, the United States has been trying to address this problem by implementing various drug policies. One of the most successful policies has been the adult drug court policy. Adult drug courts are specialized courts that deal with cases involving adults who have been arrested for crimes related to drugs. The program aims at providing treatment for people with substance abuse problems as an alternative to traditional prosecution and incarceration. The goal of these courts is to provide treatment for the offenders rather than send them to jail. Drug courts are unique in that they provide a collaborative, team-based approach to addressing substance abuse issues. Adult drug courts vary from state to state, but they typically involve a team of judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, probation officers, case managers, and social workers who work together to provide treatment for the offenders. Participants typically appear before the team on a regular basis to receive updates on their progress and to be held accountable for their actions. Drug courts have been shown to be more effective than traditional prosecution and incarceration at reducing drug use and crime. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the literature on adult drug courts. The first section will provide an overview of the history and development of adult drug courts. The second section will discuss current research on the effectiveness of adult drug courts. The third section will discuss the policy improvement potential of drug courts. The fourth section will examine problems with the current drug court system. The fifth section will provide concluding remarks. Exploring these areas is significant in understanding the role of drug courts in the overall criminal justice system. In the United States, adult drug courts are a successful approach to reducing drug and substance abuse. History and Development of Adult Drug Courts Adult drug courts have been around for more than two decades, with the first one established in Miami, Florida in 1989. The idea for adult drug courts was born out of the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s (Coffee, 2018). Law enforcement officials and policymakers were struggling to find a way to address the growing problem of drug-related crime (Logan & Link, 2019). They realized that traditional methods of prosecution and incarceration were not working and that something needed to be done to provide treatment for offenders with substance abuse problems. The first adult drug court was modeled after the juvenile drug court program that had been successful at reducing recidivism among juveniles. The goal was to provide treatment for offenders rather than send them to jail. The early adult drug courts were very successful, and the model quickly spread to other states. In 1995, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) conducted a study on the effectiveness of adult drug courts. The study found that adult drug courts reduced crime by an average of 32 percent and drug use by an average of 60 percent (Joudrey et al., 2021). These findings led to the widespread adoption of adult drug courts across the country. Today, there are more than 3,500 adult drug courts in the United States (Kearley et al., 2019). The majority of these courts are located in large metropolitan areas. However, there are also a number of rural counties that have established adult drug courts. For instance, in 1996, the state of Montana established the first rural adult drug court in the United States. Adult drug courts have also been used as a way to divert offenders from the criminal justice system. Offenders who meet the eligibility requirements can be referred to adult drug court by a probation officer, defense attorney, or prosecutor. The goal of diversion is to provide treatment for the offender rather than send them to jail. Diverting offenders from jail has several benefits (Sacco, 2018). It saves taxpayers money by reducing the number of people who need to be housed in jails and prisons. It also allows offenders to get treatment for their addiction, which can reduce crime rates in the long run. Owing to these benefits, adult drug courts are becoming increasingly popular among policymakers. The majority of adult drug courts in the United States are still operating under their original guidelines from the early 1990s. However, there have been a few changes to the policy over the years. In the early 2000s, Congress passed the Drug Court Improvement Act, which provided funding for drug courts and encouraged their expansion (Foley & Rowen, 2022). The act also required that all drug courts provide treatment services that met certain standards. More recently, in 2007, Congress passed the Second Chance Act, which provides funding for reentry programs, including drug courts (De Guzman, 2020). This act is aimed at helping offenders who have been released from prison to successfully reenter society. It is assumed that many of these offenders will need treatment for their addiction, which is where drug courts can play a role. The biggest change to adult drug courts in recent years has been the growing emphasis on evidence-based practices. Evidence-based practices are interventions that have been proven to be effective through scientific research. There is now a growing body of research on the effectiveness of adult drug courts, and many states have begun to adopt evidence-based practices in their drug courts (Logan & Link, 2019). For instance, Florida has developed a set of statewide guidelines for drug courts that include evidence-based practices such as motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Current Research There is a growing body of research on the effectiveness of adult drug courts, and many states have begun to adopt evidence-based practices in their drug courts. However, it is still difficult to assess the overall effectiveness of adult drug courts. This is largely because there is no one-size-fits-all approach to drug courts, and they vary greatly in terms of their structure and eligibility requirements. In addition, there is no standardized measure of recidivism, which makes it difficult to compare the outcomes of different drug courts. Nevertheless, there is some evidence that adult drug courts can be effective at reducing crime and drug use. A study conducted by the National Institute of Justice found that adult drug courts reduced crime by an average of 25 percent (Office of National Drug Policy, n.d). A later study by the same organization found that adult drug courts also reduced drug use by an average of 33 percent (Arnold et al., 2020). More recently, a study published in the journal Criminal Justice and Behavior in 2018 found that adult drug courts were associated with a decrease in recidivism rates (Wilson et al., 2018). It should be noted that one of the main goals of adult drug courts is to reduce recidivism rates. Recidivism is defined as the act of committing a crime after being released from prison or jail. Drug courts achieve this goal by providing treatment for offenders who are addicted to drugs (Belenko, 2019). Treatment can help offenders to overcome their addiction and reduce their risk of committing future crimes. Recent studies have confirmed that adult drug courts are effective at reducing recidivism rates because they provide addiction treatment services that meet certain standards. For instance, a study published in the journal Criminal Justice and Behavior in 2012 found that adult drug courts were associated with a decrease in recidivism rates (Wilson et al., 2018). This study examined the recidivism rates of offenders who had been released from prison and enrolled in a drug court. It found that the offenders who participated in a drug court were less likely to commit another crime within two years of being released from prison. Studies have also revealed that drug courts provide offenders with other services that can help them stay out of jail. These services include housing assistance, job training, and mental health treatment. Offenders who participate in these programs are less likely to commit crimes and end up back in jail (Baughman et al., 2019). It has been established that when these services are combined with addiction treatment, they can be very effective at reducing recidivism rates. This explains why many drug courts now offer a variety of services to their participants. Finally, studies have revealed that drug courts also provide close supervision and accountability for offenders. This can help to keep them on track and reduce their risk of committing crimes. Drug courts often require offenders to attend regular court appearances and meet with a case manager on a regular basis. They also commonly require offenders to submit to drug tests and random searches. Offenders who are closely supervised and held accountably are less likely to commit crimes. Besides reducing recidivism rates, adult drug courts also have other benefits. For instance, a recent study revealed that they can save taxpayers money. This is because drug courts are less expensive than traditional incarceration. Studies reveal that it costs an average of $25,000 per year to incarcerate an individual in the United States (Bender, 2018). However, it only costs $5,000 per year to provide treatment services in a drug court (Bender, 2018). This is because drug courts often use community-based treatment services instead of residential treatment services. This means that offende...