17 Oct

Alternatives to Incarceration for Drug Users

Another promising alternative to incarceration is the drug court. Supervised by a sitting judge, a drug court is an intensive, community-based alcohol detox malibu, rehabilitation, and supervision program for drug defendants. The drug court movement, which began in Miami in 1989, has now expanded to all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and 2 Federal districts. The Drug Court Survey conducted by the American University Drug Court Clearinghouse reports that, as of October 2000, more than 1,050 drug courts are either operational or in the planning stage. The States with the most drug court programs include California (142), Florida (65), New York (63), Ohio (49), and Oklahoma (32).19

Studies have shown that drug use by participants involved in a drug court program is very low. The percentage of clean drug tests for current drug court participants in a survey of 14 drug courts ranged between 84% and 98%. The percentage of drug court participants who are rearrested while they are in a drug court program is also very low. A national survey of drug courts, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), found rearrest rates fell between 2% and 20% for drug court participants. Of those graduates who were rearrested, less than 3% were arrested for a violent offense, and of those, most were misdemeanors. The majority of rearrests were for new drug possession violations or traffic violations.20

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