Question

Consider the effectiveness of a drug court using a variety of theoretical perspectives. Would you reach similar conclusions using a goal, strategic, constituency, and system resources model of effectiveness? Under what circumstances might the theories lead to different conclusions about the court’s effectiveness?

Answer 1

Drug courts are judicially supervised courts. These are courts mainly for persons suffering from mental disorders. These are also for those who have taken serious substances. In these courts, both treatment and supervision is being provided at the same time.

These courts are like a blessing for those who are addicted. Drug courts were designed to divert those offenders who are affected with serious drug usage. These offenders are sent for treatment instead of prison. Drug addicted offenders have a tendancy to get involved in a crime again and again. This is known as recidivism.

Durg courts prevents this recidivism. Goals of drug courts are; to get the offenders into main streamline of society. It includes various strategies for this work. These courts are committed for treatment under supervision and to monitor the offensive activities in later stages of the whole process. If one offenders stops redoing of crime then it causes saving of huge amount of money.

These saved money and time can be spend in some other socially constructive work. Drug courts provide "first rehabilitation and then punishments". These activities are mainly based on psychosocial theory of crimes. It is very effective because it finds the root cause of a problem and then rectified actions are being taken.

Offenders find themselves able to get reintegrate into their community. Drug courts show lesser effectiveness in case where an offender is facing irregularities in treatment. Longer trial period due to judicial system's perplexities can cause delay in whole precess. This can cause antagonistic effects on person under treatment.

Smaller drug courts have been proven more effective than the larger courts. Increased number of persons can reduce the working efficiencies because this work require continuous and periodic monitoring.

Keeping past track record of all the offenders is also a tedious task. Methodolgy of working of these courts needs to be reviewed for increasing their efficiencies. These courts have more potential to contribute in nation building.