The Impact of Drug Court Involvement on Recidivism - Annotated Bibliography Example

Annotated Bibliography– Draft 0 Topic: I am studying the marijuana abuse by in the US, the causations of marijuana abuse by university students in the US, because I want to find out its short-term and long-term effects on them physically and mentally in order to understand its effect, comparing those with the university students who never use drugs. Shaffer, Deborah Koetzle, et al. "Drug Abusing Women In The Community: The Impact of Drug Court Involvement on Recidivism." Journal of Drug Issues 39.3-4 (2009): 803-828. Print. This article is a quasi-experiment research about the recidivism of females who go to drug court and those who are put on probation. The research claim that women in the community who are drug abusers and are taken to drug courts (special courts which are given the mandate to deal with substance abusers through treatment, supervising them and testing them for drugs) have a lower level of recidivism than those who are taken on probation. Those who are taken to drug courts are those individuals who have criminal record of possessing or using drugs. The sub claim is that the likelihood of recidivism is associated with the treatment provided and not the punishment which is carried out through serving jail term and having restrictions. This indicates that women abusers under probation receive more punishment than treatment services compared with those who undergo drug court. The grounds of such findings are through the long-term applied research and the multivariate analysis carried out of the quasi-experiment results, which further indicate that there is a relationship between the main claim and the sub claims mentioned above. Based on the research carried out it is evident that women who undergo treatment, frequent testing and supervision of the drug abusers helps them reform while in the drug court and hence the lower recidivism rate. This is because they have been given the chance to change their ways of drug use compared to those who have not had that chance in the drug court. The information provided in the article has served the purpose of increasing my knowledge of the reasons why recidivism rate is lower for individuals in drug court than for those under the probation program. The validity of this research is verified through the authors of the article who are highly qualified academic researchers (who have carried out other approved researches before and were accredited by the universities). The article was peer reviewed guaranteeing that the information published is valid and lastly. The research is based on other accredited researchers’ work hence increasing its validity. The research information is presented through a model easily followed and understood by the readers, because it enables comparison with other drug offenders’ researches and hence provides a clearer picture on recidivism issues. Terry-McElrath, Yvonne M., et al. "Reasons for Drug Use Among American Youth by Consumption Level, Gender, and Race/ Ethnicity: 1976-2005." Journal of Drug Issues 39.3-4 (2009): 677-714. Print This is a research about the reasons for substance use among senior high school students in the US. The reasons provided were self-reported and also collected through observation by the researchers over a period of many years (between 1976 and 2005). The results found out differences in different genders and races/ ethnicities where male students were more likely to engage in drugs and substance than female and black students were also more likely to engage in drug use than white students because of the socialization of the different categories mentioned above. The main claim of the research was that the major reason for drug use among these students was social (peer pressure) and recreational reason (high school parties), but this depended on race, ethnicity and gender of the student. The sub claims were that, despite the widely conceived reason of social or recreation factors, psychological coping with feelings and emotions and also functional reasons (like the need to gain more energy) are also some of the newly discovered motivations of using drugs and substances like alcohol among other drugs among the different groups of individual under study. This is because individuals function differently depending on their socialization hence the difference in reasons. The research carried out was longitudinal (due to the long duration of the research) and cross-sectional research (across individuals with different characteristics) and which also coincides with the differences stated in the claims and the sub claims mentioned above. This means that the reasons and motivations for consuming drugs and other substances depend on gender, race or ethnicity of the consumer. The difference in the reasons for drug consumption among male and female students and also among the different races is true in reality because all these groups are brought up differently in society and hence exposed to different social and recreational pressures hence having different motivations and reasons for using drugs. This research has increased my knowledge of the reasons for consumption of different types of drugs among different categories of people in the society and especially in high schools. The source of this research has been validated by the other similar researchers carried out earlier by different individuals like Cox & Klinger, 1988, Simons & Cary, 2000 among others. Further validity is indicated by the qualifications of the researchers (authors) who are research professors and associates with PhDs, and the publishers are highly accredited too hence have gained more experience in their line of work and this research is just part of that. The research is in line with other almost similar researchers on reasons for drug abuse among other categories of people but it also opens up thoughts of other reasons not only for high school students but also other groups as well. Mackinem, Mitchell B., et al. Drug Court: Constructing the Moral Identity of Drug Offenders. Springfield, IL: C.C. Thomas, 2008. Print. In the book of “Drug Court: Constructing the Moral Identity of Drug Offenders”, the authors discuss the issue of moral identity of the drug criminals using by the drug court. This means that instead of the drug courts offering punishment to drug offenders, it offers them treatment. The main claim is the fact that the court has a power to change the morals of the convicts from unacceptable to acceptable in the community hence improving how others evaluate them and interact with them morally in the society (that is the concept of moral identity referred to in the book). The book authors also pose sub claims that the moral identity of the patients can only be achieved if the patients work willingly together with the rehabilitation team chosen by the drug courts and evaluate each other frequently in preparation for the outer world once they are free to leave the drug court rehabilitation facilities. The moral identity according to this book means that the drug court system aims to change the drug use behavior of the offenders, it determines their progress in the treatment centers and also whether they will receive sanctions or not. The sanctions depend on whether the morals of the drug offender are improving or degrading. Moral identity is also constructed through the patients monitoring each other’s morals and hence helps in changing bad morals to better ones. These claims are achievable through the general organization, operation and even management of the courts that facilitate the treatment and provide the necessary information on how to change the moral identity of the drug offenders. The drug courts are organized and managed in such a manner that facilitates the achievement of the moral identity of the patients as mentioned above. This management and organization enables the offenders to voluntarily enter into the program, cooperate with the treatment and rehabilitation team in order to achieve the moral identity. The warrant of the achievement of this goal will come in if the patients participate fully in the programs and are willing to change their moral identity. This book has enabled me recognize that such a program exists in the drug court which I had no much knowledge of previously. The validity of this information is not only got from the authors and the publisher who are accredited sources, but also from the fact that the information has received backing from accredited various researches. The information has been justified and validated by distributing it to the justice system. Compared to other sources, the book does not provide a good and effective model to other professionals like mental health professional and doctors. This is because it is too oriented to the moral identity in a legal setting and forgets the identity of the individual in a human way. Thus, the medical professionals cannot use such information in their work. This means that there may be a hindrance of overall and holistic success of the program as intended. Read More