Courts of Healing
Courts of healing justice are specialized courts that deal in specific types of offenders. The ones that will be covered here are juvenile courts, family courts, and drug courts. These courts keep these specific types of cases out of the general courts. Their goal is to try to heal the offender of what is causing them to offend instead of just locking them up. They are also referred to courts of second chance.
These courts work with social services and law enforcement agencies to provide special attention to the offender’s problems (Kinsella, 2004). The purpose of specialty courts is to reduce recidivism and treat the offenders, setting them on the road to recovery (Kinsella, 2004). Not only can they help the offender but they also provide some relief to the over-crowded general court system, provide cost savings to the public, and provide specialization to the particular court cases (Legomsky, 1990).
There are many positive aspects to having specialized courts. Courts of healing justice provide an informal setting as compared to those of general courts. By having informal hearings it hopes to seem compassionate to the needs of the individual (Paulsen, 1966). It is the mission of these courts to focus on what is in the best interest of the person needing the help they can give them (Yermish, 2009). The courts can use the law to order treatment for the offender (Davis, 2003). Specialty courts can arrange for treatment when social services have been unable to do so, thus making court the last resort in the effort to obtain help for the offender (Davis, 2003). Not only do they serve to take away some of the over-crowding of the general courts; they keep personal problems from being exposed in general courts (Davis, 2003).
The issues on the opposite side of specialty courts are just as numerous. Public opposition to the specialty courts is that they are not viewed as real courts and they do not believe that the offender is getting the punishment they deserve or
These courts work with social services and law enforcement agencies to provide special attention to the offender’s problems (Kinsella, 2004). The purpose of specialty courts is to reduce recidivism and treat the offenders, setting them on the road to recovery (Kinsella, 2004). Not only can they help the offender but they also provide some relief to the over-crowded general court system, provide cost savings to the public, and provide specialization to the particular court cases (Legomsky, 1990).
There are many positive aspects to having specialized courts. Courts of healing justice provide an informal setting as compared to those of general courts. By having informal hearings it hopes to seem compassionate to the needs of the individual (Paulsen, 1966). It is the mission of these courts to focus on what is in the best interest of the person needing the help they can give them (Yermish, 2009). The courts can use the law to order treatment for the offender (Davis, 2003). Specialty courts can arrange for treatment when social services have been unable to do so, thus making court the last resort in the effort to obtain help for the offender (Davis, 2003). Not only do they serve to take away some of the over-crowding of the general courts; they keep personal problems from being exposed in general courts (Davis, 2003).
The issues on the opposite side of specialty courts are just as numerous. Public opposition to the specialty courts is that they are not viewed as real courts and they do not believe that the offender is getting the punishment they deserve or