Australian Drug Courts Literature Review
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Tiffany Brown, Student ID no. 220175511, CRM101 Glenn Porter
Annotated Bibliography Kornhauser, R. 2016. “The effectiveness of Australia’s drug courts”. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology. doi: 10.1177/0004865816673412 In this article, it looks at the effectiveness of drug courts compared to the more conventional court penalties on offenders. Kornhauser (2016) indicates how drug courts reduce offender’s chances reoffending by entering them into treatment programs, over incarceration. Kornhauser (2016) states there’s a lack of consistent evidence to prove this theory. Drug courts started its first rehabilitation program in NSW in 1999. Drug courts can now be found operating in other Australian jurisdictions to combat crime.
These drug programs offer a rehabilitation service to treat substance abuse that ultimately lead them to crime. For this program to work, offenders need to want to quit substance abuse and engage in the program. A firm network of friends and family is a great support, resulting in better success in rehabilitation for the offender. Kornhauser (2016) indicates studies show a small improvement in the behaviour of offenders in the program, however, periods of examination need to be longer to prove this theory. Comparisons need to be made with other states, to prove the effectiveness of the program. Studies need to be conducted on drug programs of similar nature, to analyze results on whether drug programs are a success or offenders are just wanting to change. This article gives insight that offering offenders rehabilitation services, over incarceration can be effective at treating substance abuse and reducing risks of re-offending. (282 words)
Tiffany Brown, Student ID no. 220175511, CRM101 Glenn Porter
Annotated Bibliography Kornhauser, R. 2016. “The effectiveness of Australia’s drug courts”. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology. doi: 10.1177/0004865816673412 In this article, it looks at the effectiveness of drug courts compared to the more conventional court penalties on offenders. Kornhauser (2016) indicates how drug courts reduce offender’s chances reoffending by entering them into treatment programs, over incarceration. Kornhauser (2016) states there’s a lack of consistent evidence to prove this theory. Drug courts started its first rehabilitation program in NSW in 1999. Drug courts can now be found operating in other Australian jurisdictions to combat crime.
These drug programs offer a rehabilitation service to treat substance abuse that ultimately lead them to crime. For this program to work, offenders need to want to quit substance abuse and engage in the program. A firm network of friends and family is a great support, resulting in better success in rehabilitation for the offender. Kornhauser (2016) indicates studies show a small improvement in the behaviour of offenders in the program, however, periods of examination need to be longer to prove this theory. Comparisons need to be made with other states, to prove the effectiveness of the program. Studies need to be conducted on drug programs of similar nature, to analyze results on whether drug programs are a success or offenders are just wanting to change. This article gives insight that offering offenders rehabilitation services, over incarceration can be effective at treating substance abuse and reducing risks of re-offending. (282 words)