With mandatory sentencing and increased enforcement prompted by the War on Drugs, the nation's courts and correctional systems found themselves overwhelmed with drug-related defendants. Local jurisdictions began to seek other alternatives to deal with the growing problem.
According to "Miami's Drug Court: A Different Approach" published in 1993, the first "drug court" was established by Judge Herbert M. Klein, who saw the damage drug cases were causing the Dade County Court system. Klein's first drug court became the model for the nation, according to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service.
Drug Courts Growing Rapidly
As of May 2004, according to NCJRS research, there were 1,160 drug courts operating in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and two Federal Districts. Another 517 drug courts programs were in the planning stages. The NCJRS calls the outbreak of new drug courts in recent years "extraordinary."On key factor in the rise of drug courts was the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which provided federal funding for planning, implementing, and enhancing drug courts for nonviolent drug offenders. The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, through its Drug Courts Program Office (DCPO), provided $56 million in funding to drug courts between 1995 and 1997.
Another factor was continuing research that indicated the drug court simply worked better and more efficiently in addressing the drug problem, compared to traditional criminal justice approaches. Research shows drug courts continue to reduce recidivism, reduce substance abuse among participants, and to rehabilitate participants, compared to the corrections system alone.
Drug Courts Work, Studies Show
The numbers speak loud and clear. Incarceration of drug-using offenders costs between $20,000 and $50,000 per person per year. A comprehensive drug court system typically costs between $2,500 and $4,000 annually for each offender, according to the NCJRS.A recent Ohio study conducted by the University of Cincinnati, tracked 1,600 juvenile and adult drug offenders who were routed through Ohio's drug courts during the past year. The study found that drug-court participants were 15-percent less likely to repeat their offenses than those who didn't go through the specialized courts.
Now the problem for states facing budget crunches seems to be there is just not enough drug courts in operation. In Ohio, for example, more than 6,000 are charged with felony drug abuse each year, but most of them never see the inside of a drug court, because there are only 48 such courts operating in the entire state.
