North Carolina Drug Courts - Essay Example

Therapeutic justice encourages Drug Courts’ judges to address the underlying issues that lead to drug abuse (Cooper & Knotts, 2008). Since their inception in the year 1989, more than ten thousand drug offenders have taken part in Drug Court programs nationwide, and about 71 percent offenders have completed Drug Court successfully or are still involved in Drug Court (Hennessy & Pallone, 2002). This paper looks into the North Carolina Drug Courts. The North Carolina Drug Treatment Courts (DTC) were established in the year 1995 by law to monitor and enhance treatment services’ provision to adult offenders who are chemically dependent while holding them strictly responsible for adhering to their treatment plans as ordered by the court.

Presently, North Carolina has about forty-two operational Drug Treatment Courts, which serve approximately 33% of apt intermediate-level lawbreakers. In the year 2001, the Drug Treatment Courts were expanded to take in substance-dependent parents of abused or neglected children as well as juvenile offenders addicted to drugs. In July of the year 2004, in an attempt to intervene actively and bring crime and addiction cycle to an end, North Carolina’s General Assembly defined DTCs as an Intermediate Sanction/punishment that is under the Structured Sentencing statute.

As expected, intermediate sanction offers an efficient substitute to the range of graduated punishment between incarceration and probation. As a probation requirement, lawbreakers at the intermediate level who are sent to DTCs should abide by the rules of the program; turn up as required, in addition to participating in alcohol or drug treatment programs, court supervision, as well as drug testing or screening (Davis, 2009). The North Carolina Drug Treatment Courts seek to diminish the alcohol and other drug-linked court workload, decrease alcoholism as well as other dependencies on drugs among juvenile and adult defendants and offenders and amongst respondents in juvenile appeals for neglect and/or abuse; and to diminish delinquent and criminal recidivism and child neglect and abuse incidences.

They also aim to endorse effectual use and interaction of resources amid community agencies, personnel in criminal and juvenile justice, and child protective services agencies; and to enhance the societal, familial, and personal answerability of juvenile and adult lawbreakers and respondents and defendants in juvenile appeals for neglect and/or abuse. Concisely, DTC’s overall aim is to attain a considerable break of addiction cycle that brings about recurring incidents of breaking the law. By improving the prospects of the substance-driven lawbreaker to remain socially responsible and free of crime and drug, the courts seeks out the reduction of the health system, justice system, as well as additional societal costs linked with enduring involvement in criminal activities as well as the use of drugs (The North Carolina Court System, N.d). The courts started offering case-tracking and treatment services in the year 1996.

In its thirteen judicial districts, the state of North Carolina runs seventeen treatment courts for adults. It also operates juveniles’ drug courts as well as family drug treatment courts for parents who are attempting to recover guardianship of their children. Adult defendants who have