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Implementing the Key Components of Specialized Drug Treatment Courts: Practice and Policy Considerations
Author(s) -
Olson David,
Lurigio Arthur,
Albertson Stephanie
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
law and policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.534
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1467-9930
pISSN - 0265-8240
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9930.00109
Subject(s) - drug court , key (lock) , drug , law enforcement , drug treatment , substance abuse , political science , enforcement , criminology , law , public relations , medicine , psychology , computer security , psychiatry , computer science
The perceived need for specialized drug courts emerged from the most recent “war on drugs.” Courts were no longer able to handle such cases effectively because of an overwhelming volume of drug arrests and prosecutions. The increased emphasis on drug enforcement also revealed that many of the most serious criminally involved drug‐using offenders were undeterred by threats of incarceration, but were amenable to substance abuse treatment. Drug court professionals have identified several “key components” that must be in place for these courts to achieve their goals of reducing drug use and crime. Through the lens of these key drug court components, we examine the development and initiation of specialized drug treatment courts in Cook County (Chicago), Illinois. By exploring and documenting Cook County’s experiences, we elucidate several of the basic policy and organizational issues surrounding the implementation and operations of specialized drug treatment courts in the United States.