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In this drug court program there are five phases: a) detoxification (if necessary), comprehensive assessments, a short-term treatment plan and individual and group counseling services; and b) a more intensive individual treatment plan, group and individual therapy, weekly court hearings, meetings with the probation officer and "required attendance at AA 12 Step recovery meetings daily; c) the 2nd phase activities continue but in this phase they also focus on developing life skills (jobs, housing, education, etc.); defendants must pay all courts costs; d) this is the "life skills enhancement" phase in which defendants are required to seek jobs and housing, required to get their GED and continue showing negative random drug screens (Wolfer, 309-310).
In the "exit interviews" conducted with the first 55 "graduates" of the drug court program in Pennsylvania there were numerous response to the question of what should be changed or kept in the program. "Almost 90%" of the defendants made a negative comment about the program, Wolfer explains on page 314. By far the most consistent complaint was regarding the urine screening....
About one-fourth of the respondents suggested the screens should be "more random" because the "general impression" was that they were "too predictable" and too "easy to beat" (p. 314). The other main complaint was that there were "too many" meetings and for those who got jobs, asking employers to excuse them often for meetings was challenging and tested the patience of the supervisor at work.
Conclusion: The drug court system is not only a more sensible, practical solution to those addicted to drugs, but also it is potentially a way to reduce overcrowding in prisons, and a way to help people whose only crime is their addiction.
Works Cited
Banks, Duren, and Gottfredson, Denise C. (2003). The Effects of Drug Treatment and Supervision on Time to Rearrest Among Drug Treatment Court Participants. The Journal
of Drug Issues. 33(2). 385-412. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from www.ccjs.umd.edu/faculty/userfiles/25/Banks2003.pdf.
Wolfer, Loreen. (2006). Graduates speak: a qualitative exploration of drug court graduates'
Views of the strengths and weaknesses…
Works Cited
Banks, Duren, and Gottfredson, Denise C. (2003). The Effects of Drug Treatment and Supervision on Time to Rearrest Among Drug Treatment Court Participants. The Journal
of Drug Issues. 33(2). 385-412. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from www.ccjs.umd.edu/faculty/userfiles/25/Banks2003.pdf.
Wolfer, Loreen. (2006). Graduates speak: a qualitative exploration of drug court graduates'
Views of the strengths and weaknesses of the program. Contemporary Drug Problems.
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