The value of drug courts is expressed in their positive impact on drug related crime statistics in the first years after completion of a drug treatment program. Gonzales et al. (2006) point out that the number of adjudicators and their leadership style affect how often addicts do not complete rehab. In addition, the more often they encounter different judges, the more likely they are to be incarcerated again for non-drug offenses.
Treatment Issues
Court-supervised treatment is a tool for reducing the frequency of drug use and reoffending behavior. Gonzales et al. (2006) note that the connection between drug use and criminality is fundamental for treatment providers. Nevertheless, judicial intervention in how the treatment should be conducted is controversial because not all judges have sufficient knowledge to draw conclusions and penalties. The integration of judges and their training can positively impact the effectiveness of their sentencing.
Drug Court for Juveniles
The juvenile court system is flawed because of the difficulty in accounting for the unique conditions of juvenile crime. Gonzales et al. (2006) suggest that juvenile drug trials should not follow the same system as adults because it could erase the entire premise for corrective behavior. Adult programs will far from affect juveniles because they are not structured for the necessary expectations of juveniles.
Outcomes
The current court administration situation shows the imperfections associated with the success of the treatment programs that judges choose as sentences. The lack of organized and unique juvenile courts leads to why judges choose the harsher path of punishment compared to adults. The implementation of drug courts could be more effective if judges were committed to recognizing the special conditions for different populations. In addition, the implementation of drug courts should focus on correction rather than punishment.
Reference
Gonzales, A. R., Schofield, R. B., & Schmitt, G. R. (2006). Drug courts: The second decade. National Institute of Justice.