Number	18258
Subject	Law Enforcement
Source	Governing
State	DC
Year	2001
Publication Date	August
Summary	Governing examines the effectiveness of drug courts that have been evolving over the past decade as special courts to deal with drug users. The article reveals that the vast majority of the drug courts studied "failed to track the status of the program participants after they left treatment" and "made no comparison of arrest rates of participants to nonparticipants after the conclusion of the treatment program." The story exposes the lack of recidivism rates throughout the country. The voices some judges' criticism that "drug courts are a waste of time and money" but also acknowledges a major advantage - that drug courts keep drug users out of incarceration and from continuing to use drugs, thus saving thousands of prison and jail days.
Category	General
Pages	3
Keywords	judges;courts;drug abuse;legislature;rehabilitation programs;treatment programs;Texas;California;Florida;GAO
Related Links
Related Video
Ordering info	Want to place an order? Email us or call us at 573-882-3364 (Stories are only available to members of IRE. For membership information, please refer to our membership page)