Question

The public perception of many "recreational drugs" has shifted in recent years. What is, "drug court?" How has drug court changed in the last few years, since the penalty for possessing illegal drugs for personal use has been decreased? Discuss the future drug court in the United States. What do you think it will look like in five years?

Answer 1

America has been witnessing an upsurge in susbstance use. Engaging in substance abuse can lead to complex health issues and increased addiction. The consequences of drug use and drug abuse are three fold. For example, people commit drug related crimes, die of drug overdose, engage in illegal activites, the list goes on. More often than not, it begins as a humble foray into the world of recreational substances (these include Alcohol, Cannabis, Opioids, and the like.) due to various reasons and factors. In recent years, many individuals are seen to indulge in recreational drugs 'to feel good', to get away from stress etc. Once they get used to these drugs, most of them lose control over the ability to stop using them when there is a risk involved. The addiction is so adverse that they do not flinch to resort to illegal means to obtain drugs. As a result of this addiction, most of the offenders are put behind bars.

The first drug court in the United States began operating in the late 1980s in Miami, Florida. The country witnessed scores of people who were crack addicts and it was observed that putting them behind bars was of no use because once released, they would go back to doing the same thing again and eventually come back to prison. A group consisting of Public defenders, State Attorneys and Judges wanted to make a change to this cyclic process and make a difference in the lives of those repeat offenders who were actually non violent but were tied to the force of habit. And therefore they set up something called as a Drug Court which allowed these drug offenders to get treatment. They felt that instead of imposing penalty and sending them to prison, they can try to understand their problem and offer them assistance, deaddiction therapy, counselling etc.

The past few years have seen a change in Drug Courts in terms of efficiency, drug treatment programs, favourable outcomes etc. Investigations conducted have shown that the rate of recidivism is low compared to earlier times. The Drug Courts care about the welfare of the individual and try their best to offer them help so that they can start life all over again and look beyond the maze of "drugs" which have totally consumed them. Addiction treatment is important and Drug Courts realize the very seriousness of this issue and strive to make an impact in the lives of drug addicts. There are drug courts in all the 50 states of America. They can be expected to make some notable development in the future in areas such as juvenile treatment, coming up with new and advanced strategies to overcome the drug issue, create a better cost benefit system etc.

In my opinion, the situation is definitely going to look better in the next five years. It is a great alternative for offenders to restart their life and gain perspective. Even though there is a biased view and there are some mixed opinions that suggest Drug Courts do not benefit the offender, I think they are worthy of being given a chance. Drug Courts can implement an expansion plan and make themselves available and more accessible in many more areas where they are needed. If there are places that are desolately drowned in drug use without an access to a Drug Court, the immediate agenda should be to reach such areas.